 July 20, 2007 |
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U.S. House Agriculture Committee Passes 2007 Farm Bill; Contact: Danni Beer, USCA COOL Committee Chairman 605/524-3383 |
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| San Lucas, Calif. (July 20, 2007) - After days of intense negotiations the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, on Thursday evening, July 19, unanimously passed its version of the 2007 Farm Bill. By voice vote the committee adopted clarifications to the country of origin labeling law (COOL) just before it approved the new five-year farm policy package in total. The U.S. Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) was actively engaged in the negotiation process, helping fend off several attempts by opponents to weaken COOL.
Under the committee’s plan, three different labels were created to identify the country of origin for meat, including "Product of the U.S." meaning the meat is harvested from an animal born, raised and processed in the United States. The committee approved a second label to be used for meat derived from animals that move across U.S. borders. For example, meat derived from Canadian feeder pigs or cattle brought to the U.S. for finishing and processing purposes would be labeled as a "Product of the U.S. and Canada." A third label would be used for product like ground beef comprised of meat from carcasses of U.S., Canadian and Mexican cattle as well as meat trimmings from New Zealand. Under the committee’s language that label will state "This product contains meat from the U.S., Canada, Mexico and New Zealand." According to the language adopted, the ground beef labels will not require percentage breakdowns of how much meat came from which country. Additionally, the agreement reduces penalties for retailers and relaxes the paperwork to prove the origin of animals. "At the end of the day, U.S. cattlemen prevailed in what was an intense series of negotiations over COOL," said Jess Peterson, USCA Director of Governmental Affairs. "This was by no means an easy process. Opponents of COOL saw the House Ag Committee as one of their last-ditch opportunities to gut the law, but thanks to the engagement of producers from across the nation we were able to hold the line and preserve U.S. ranchers’ right to distinguish their product under the labeling law." USCA COOL Committee Chairman Danni Beer, South Dakota, congratulated cattle producers on the victory. "Events from the past week culminated in a milestone victory for cattle producers, but not without some deal-breaking moments. When ACOL, a coalition of agriculture and consumer groups, asked producers to apply pressure, they responded overwhelmingly with phone calls, faxes and emails to Capitol Hill. The industry needs to express its gratitude to National Farmers Union and its leadership for facilitating very sensitive negotiations," she continued. "We’re grateful for the national media exposure from CNN’s Lou Dobbs who, throughout the past several days, has highlighted the rights and needs of consumers and producers with regard to food labeling. This is also a victory for consumers who overwhelmingly support the program and we thank consumer groups for their support and partnership in this process. The industry is very fortunate to have Jess Peterson at work in Washington, DC. Jess literally worked around the clock on producers’ behalf and it was Jess who offered the information, insight and guidance that brought us to success." The Farm Bill package is expected to come before the full House of Representatives for a vote before the end of July. |
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