The U.S. Department of Agriculture does not support the
country-of-origin labeling (COOL) law because of the "burden" it will
force on the entire meat production system -- producers, packers and
retailers -- potential adverse impact on trade and "unintended
consequences (that) could be significant," USDA undersecretary for
marketing and regulatory programs Bill Hawks said last week.
However, he said USDA and the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will
carry out the law "to the best of (their) abilities," he told the Senate
Agriculture Committee marketing subcommittee at a hearing in Joplin,
Mo.
He said the law will create "a massive burden" on the industry due
mostly to additional, necessary record keeping. Even in the purest
situation, he said, where a calf or pig is born, raised and slaughtered in
the U.S., documentation will be needed at each stage of the animal's life
and through processing and merchandising to establish and prove country of
origin. "The entire production system must have appropriate record keeping
in place," he said.
Hawks said some of this burden could be avoided if USDA were permitted
to impose an identification program that would verify country of origin,
but he noted that the department is prohibited by the law from mandating
an identification system.
Subcommittee chair Sen. Jim Talent (R., Mo.) said the law represents "a
good idea in principle" but agreed that it places "a great burden on every
link" in the production system.
COOL was written into the 2002 farm bill and requires that by Oct. 1,
2004, all fresh beef, lamb, pork, seafood and certain other commodities be
labeled at retail as to the country, or countries, of origin of the
animal, or animals, from which the products were produced (Feedstuffs,
Dec. 2, 2002). The law does not cover further-processed products,
poultry or products sold in the foodservice trade.
Retailers will be required to demonstrate the veracity of labels and
will be subject to civil fines for mislabeled products, and it's likely
retailers will require packers and producers to document and verify
country of origin. (Packers will be subject to criminal fines and jail
terms even for mistaken labeling.)
COOL falls under the administration of AMS.
The subcommittee hearing was April 22.
AMI suggests voluntary COOL more preferred
American Meat Institute (AMI) president J. Patrick Boyle suggested to
the subcommittee that a voluntary program would be far more preferred than
the "burdensome, costly, mandatory" one that will go into place next
year.
Indeed, he reported that AMI and other trade groups had petitioned USDA
last year to establish a fee-based, voluntary certification program for
U.S. beef that would be administered by AMS. He said those producers who
believe consumers demand and will pay premiums for U.S.-labeled products
"could enter the market with those products and, if the benefits (were to)
outweigh the costs, succeed."
Boyle countered some advocates' arguments that COOL is a
consumers-right-to-know issue, pointing to how it does not provide
consumers a right to know about the country of origin for the poultry they
buy in retail stores or food they consume in restaurants.
He said it's "ironic" that proponents believe consumers have a right to
know the country of origin of the hamburger that they buy in the grocery
store but not the hamburger that they consume in the restaurant even
though both burgers may have come from the same animal.
He also said it's unclear if consumers will pay extra for U.S.-labeled
products, and if they will, if they will pay enough extra to offset the
costs that will be forced on the production system to arrange for the
labels.
Marketplace to determine documentation requirements
Kansas Livestock Assn. (KLA) officers and staff met with AMS director
of livestock and seed programs Barry Carpenter recently to discuss COOL
and reported to KLA membership that Carpenter, whose division is
responsible for carrying out COOL, said retailers will have the ultimate
responsibility for label accuracy.
KLA reported that Carpenter said he anticipates that the marketplace,
through producer-packer-retailer arrangements, will determine the
documentation and verification that will be needed for that accuracy, and
AMS will need to see farm-to-meat case audit trails to make sure of the
correctness of labels, a position that he has previously stated
(Feedstuffs, March 10).
COOL program
For Iowa producers wanting to know more about COOL and expectations for
them under the law, the Iowa State University Extension Service has
scheduled a satellite program from 10:00 a.m. to noon June 10, according
to an announcement.
Iowa State agriculture economist John Lawrence, director of the Iowa
Beef Center, and extension veterinarian Dr. James McKean, associate
director of the Iowa Pork Industry Center, will discuss the law and take
questions that can be submitted by e-mail, fax or telephone, the
announcement said.
There is a $10 fee for participation, and the program will be broadcast
to most extension offices, the announcement said. A list of participating
offices is available at www.extension.iastate.edu/ipic/events.html, and
registration should be done through the office in the producer's county,
the announcement said.
COOL site
Kansas State University's animal science department announced last week
a COOL web site that will post information and analysis on COOL, including
news reports and opinions that reflect both comments for and opposed to
the law.
The web site will also have two e-mail services, COOL-News that will
notify those who sign up for the service of new information posted on the
web site and COOL-Talk that will permit users to exchange messages about
COOL. The web site says COOL-Talk will be monitored "and inappropriate
messages will not be sent."
The site is at www.oznet.ksu.edu/ansi/cool.