Agricultural News
US House Moves to Repeal COOL for Beef, Pork and Poultry by a Strong 300 to 131 Margin
Thu, 11 Jun 2015 03:36:29 CDT
The House voted late Wednesday to take country of origin labels off of meat products sold in the United States. The vote was 300-131 in favor of removing the labels. The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.
The bill, introduced just last week, followed the most recent ruling the latest of several by the World Trade Organization in May that the law creates unfair trade barriers for Canada and Mexico. Both countries have threatened retaliatory trade actions against U.S. exports. Total retaliation proposed by the two countries totals $3.6 billion dollars annually.
Country of origin labeling (COOL) was mandated by the 2002 and 2008 farm bills. Many livestock groups and meat processors have been lobbying for the law to to be changed ever since. Consumer protection activists and livestock producers have lobbied just as hard to keep the law in place.
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association was quick to praise the strong yes vote for repeal. NCBA President Phillip Ellis of Wyoming says "COOL has been without benefit to the U.S. cattle industry and producers like myself. And now with retaliation eminent from our largest trading partners, it is time this legislation is repealed. There is no other fix that can be put in place to bring value to this program or satisfy our trading partners."
"It is imperative that the Senate act quickly to pass this legislation," added Ellis. "The governments of Canada and Mexico have been very clear that they fully intend to retaliate to the fullest extent allowed by the WTO and the only step before that happens is to determine the actual amount. Retaliation will be in the billions, and our economy cannot afford that hit."
Also in response to the House vote, the North American Meat Institute (NAMI) issued a statement calling it "an essential first step."
"Chairman Conaway and Representative Costa have shown incredible leadership in encouraging the U.S. live up to its obligations and abide by World Trade Organization rules," NAMI President and CEO Barry Carpenter said in the statement. "It's an issue of marketing, and that should be decided in the marketplace. We hope the Senate will move quickly to vote for repeal so the President can sign the bill and put this failed experiment behind us."
Similarly, the National Pork Producers Council issued a statement from their president Ron Prestage, saying, "We're pleased that the House voted to repeal the meat labeling requirements of COOL. We need the Senate to do the same, and we need that to happen now; we must avoid trade retaliation from our No. 1 and No. 3 export markets."
Opponents of COOL repeal called the move by the House premature. Roger Johnson of the National Farmers Union described the move as a "disappointing, knee-jerk overreaction" and says they will focus on the Senate to slow this process down and consider other options besides repeal.
"Instead of allowing members of Congress the opportunity to debate and come to a reasonable solution to deal with the WTO compliance issue, the House has instead given us a reflexive reaction to repeal a very popular labeling law that provides important information to the nation's consumers and is strongly supported by both consumers and family farmers," said Johnson. "The House leadership is not interested in any reasonable solutions and blocked all amendments."
Johnson noted that in past disputes, WTO members found ways to work together to arrive at a resolution that worked for all parties. "Unfortunately, today's action by the U.S. House of Representatives does not work towards a resolution that maintains the integrity of COOL and satisfies WTO obligations. It instead signals an acceptance of defeat when there are still viable alternatives," he said.
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