"The retailers and meatpackers want to continue keeping secrets from consumers--secrets about the fact that more and more beef sold in the U.S. is from outside of our borders, and is produced and processed in foreign countries, under different laws and regulations. Obviously meatpackers and retailers reap huge financial benefits by misinforming consumers; if this were not the case, they would willingly adhere to the labeling law."

South Dakota

The South Dakota Stockgrowers Association is not surprised by the latest effort to cripple mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL).

"Consumers and producers across the country demand country-of-origin labeling, but unfortunately the lobbying power of the multinational meatpackers and retail chains has temporarily overpowered the people's voice, at least with certain congressmen," says Rick Fox, Hermosa, South Dakota Stockgrowers Association vice president.

Fox said the House Ag Appropriations Sub-Committee voted May 16 in support of an appropriations bill that included a last minute amendment to delay mandatory COOL until 2007. This very same tactic was used in 2004 to delay COOL implementation. "They are obviously not proud of what they've done, as they weren't willing to discuss this in an open debate, but rather snuck in the delay in the dead of night."

"Without the means to label and promote our American-made product, U.S. cattle producers are forced to sell our premium product in a commodity market," says Fox. "The retailers and meatpackers want to continue keeping secrets from consumers--secrets about the fact that more and more beef sold in the U.S. is from outside of our borders, and is produced and processed in foreign countries, under different laws and regulations. Obviously meatpackers and retailers reap huge financial benefits by misinforming consumers; if this were not the case, they would willingly adhere to the labeling law."

South Dakota Stockgrowers Association Marketing Committee Chairman Bob Fortune, Kadoka, says that the excuses he's heard from organizations claiming to represent cattle producers but opposing mandatory COOL don't hold water. "They say they don't support mandatory COOL because they don't like government intervention or government mandates. But those very same organizations defend the mandatory $1/head check off, claiming that it's 'government speech.'" In addition, Fortune says, those groups have publicly announced their support for a mandatory national animal identification system. "Talk about government intervention, a mandatory ID system is about as obtrusive as it gets. Those organizations seem to support government intervention as long as it will help the large multinational corporations, but they get in the way of any efforts to help the U.S. cattle producer."

Fortune refutes another common complaint about mandatory COOL. "I've heard the meat associations say that mandatory COOL will just be too expensive to implement if they have to track every animal from birth. Congressmen Dennie Rehburg's (R-MT) legislation to take cattle off the J-list would allow for simple and inexpensive implementation of mandatory COOL, by requiring all live cattle that enter the United States to carry a mark of origin, such as a hot brand. All imported beef is already stamped to indicate the exporting country--that information simply needs to be provided to the consumer, instead of being thrown out at the processing plant. All cattle or beef without a foreign mark would be known to be a U.S. product."

Fox says the South Dakota Stockgrowers Association and other U.S. cattle organizations including their national affiliate, R-CALF USA appreciates South Dakota's congressional delegation for their continued support for mandatory COOL. "We will work with our senators and congresswoman to ensure that this latest attempt to kill COOL is revealed and stopped. The public needs to be aware that some of our elected officials are bending to the pressure from international corporations. This is not how our government was set up to work. USDA should not be lobbying Congress; their job is to implement the laws approved in the legislative process. The people have the power, and the people have spoken: Implement mandatory country-of-origin labeling without delay."

Date: 5/25/05

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