MONTPELIER — Gov. Peter Shumlin is expressing doubt about whether Vermont should pass a bill requiring special labeling for food that is genetically modified or contains genetically modified ingredients.

Shumlin says Vermont lost a lawsuit several years ago over a requirement for labels on dairy products from cows treated with an artificial growth hormone.

He says that loss in the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals makes Vermont likely not the best state to be the first to test a GMO labeling law.

A bill requiring labels on genetically modified food cleared the House Agriculture Committee last Friday, but even supporters say they expect that if it passes, it will be challenged in court by the biotech industry.