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Kansas Farmers Union calls for COOL to be properly implementedKansas Kansas Farmers Union said today the U.S. Department of Agriculture's interpretation of the 2008 farm bill's country-of-origin labeling provision leaves a loophole that will circumvent the intent of the labeling law. The farm bill language explicitly states exclusively born, raised and processed U.S. animals cannot be used in the multiple country category (category 2). This loophole will allow packers to label exclusively American products with those from other countries. "USDA has created a loophole big enough to drive a truck through, violating the spirit, letter and intent of the law and deceiving consumers who have consistently shown support for buying U.S. products," National Farmers Union President Tom Buis said. "This is about truth in labeling." Farmers Union was a key player in reaching the compromise agreement that paved the way for COOL's implementation. The agreement creates four labeling categories: 1. Products exclusively born, raised and processed in the United States would be labeled as a U.S. product; 2. Products from animals that were not exclusively born, raised and processed in the United States and not imported for immediate slaughter be labeled with all countries in which the animal may have been born, raised or processed; 3. An animal that was imported for immediate processing may be labeled as a product of the importing country and the United States; and 4. Animals that were born, raised and processed in a foreign country will be labeled as a product of the country of origin. "We negotiated in good-faith, offering flexibility for processors to transition their facilities to appropriately segregate animals," Buis said. "Yet processors have been clear about their intent to take advantage of our efforts. This is a disservice to COOL and consumers." Despite COOL's inclusion in the 2002 farm bill, the provision was never implemented. COOL is scheduled to go into effect Oct. 1, 2008. 9/29/08 Date: 9/25/08
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