Feedstuffs | November 29, 2004 | Issue 39 | Volume 76

In wrapping up a 2005 omnibus spending bill, congressional leaders did not include language that would have created a voluntary country-of-origin labeling (COOL) program for beef, pork and other agriculture products, leaving in place the mandatory labeling required as part of the 2002 farm bill that is set to take effect in September 2006.

The Food Promotion Act of 2004 passed the House Agriculture Committee in July but failed to get attached to the omnibus bill, killing the proposal until the next Congress is seated in January.

The National Cattlemen's Beef Assn. (NCBA) said the act had support by numerous food and agriculture groups.

"The bill introduced by House Agriculture Committee chairman Bob Goodlatte (R., Va.) and ranking minority member Charles Stenholm (D., Texas) represents an effort to move COOL forward in a reasonable and cost effective manner," said Bryan Dierlam, acting executive director of legislative affairs at NCBA.

"We are very disappointed that in the closing days of this session, Congress was unable to include in its omni bus package the bill that would have put in place a producer﷓driven and consumer﷓friendly labeling program," he said.

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) was also disappointed with the move. NPPC past president Jon Caspers said the regulatory burden and costs of mandatory COOL, estimated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to be $3.9 billion in the first year of implementation, "falls disproportionately on the independent and smaller pork producers, which is unfortunate. ... We are extremely disappointed that a voluntary system that could have benefited consumers without unduly burdening producers will not be implemented."

Groups such as R-CALF and the Western Organization of Resource Councils (WORC), however, were pleased to see the measure dropped.

In saying she was "pleased" with the situation, WORC's Mabel Dobbs, a rancher from Weiser, Ida., said, "Mandatory labeling will help both consumers and producers. Consumers will be able to make informed choices and buy U.S. beef, if they want. Producers will be able to differentiate their crops and livestock as products of the U.S."

R-CALF chief executive officer Bill Bullard said keeping the measure out of the omnibus bill was a "significant victory."

"Packers and others in the beef industry who've been working so hard to implement voluntary COOL grossly underestimated congressional members' support and determination to see this success through to the end," Bullard said.

Mandatory COOL for fish and shellfish will go into effect in March 2005 following an interim final rule announced Sept. 30 by USDA (Feedstuffs, Oct. 4). Mandatory requirements for beef, pork, lamb and other products, however, were delayed until 2006 as part of an amendment to the fiscal 2004 agricultural spending bill.

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