USDA Stockgrowers Press Release
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MSGA Shows Support for COOL Resolution
HELENA, Mont. (May 13, 2020) - Today, Senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines signed onto a resolution to reinstate Country-of-Origin (COOL) labeling for pork and beef. Similarly, Congressman Greg Gianforte sent a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to find a meaningful solution to allow accurate labeling of U.S. beef.
MSGA has long been an advocate of COOL and, as an association, we support efforts to continue to evaluate avenues forward for a program that meets the needs of producers, consumers and regulating entities.
“Our members have expressed enormous support for a program which allows for the preservation and protection of beef using the “USA” label and allows consumers to have a clear choice between “USA” beef and “Non-USA” beef,” said MSGA President, Fred Wacker.
In October of 2019, MSGA sent a letter to Senator Tester in support of the proposed resolution to reinstate Country-of-Origin (COOL) labeling for pork and beef.
The resolution from Tester and Daines urges the President to require the United States Trade Representative to enter into the trade negotiations necessary to implement mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef, in order to allow consumers to make an informed and free choice about where their food comes from.
The letter from Gianforte encourages USDA to find a new definition for the “Product of the U.S.A” label in which beef products processed and packaged outside of the U.S. would not be eligible to be labeled as “Product of the U.S.A.” Gianforte also asks USDA to expedite the rulemaking process to fix the current loophole.
MSGA would like to thank our congressional delegation for their efforts to develop any potential legislation that is in compliance with global trade regulations and the WTO.
