Senators seek COOL solution

North Dakota’s senators say they hope to placate Canada and Mexico by making country of origin labeling of U.S. meats voluntary — but that may not be enough. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., joined Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., to introduce the Voluntary Country of Origin Labeling and Trade Enhancement Act of 2015, repealing mandatory country of origin labeling for beef, pork and chicken. In May, the World Trade Organization ruled for the fourth time that the U.S. mandatory COOL law violates international trade agreements. The WTO has started arbitration to determine the level of retaliation that Canada and Mexico will be authorized to implement. “Retaliatory tariffs won’t just impact meat producers and processors but will also affect consumers, businesses and jobs, so Sen. Stabenow and I have developed a solution that should work for all of them,” Hoeven said in a statement. “We cannot put ourselves in a position where Canada and Mexico can retaliate against us for mandatory country of origin labeling, but we can have a voluntary labeling program and still meet WTO requirements.” The move was meant to avoid tariffs by Canada and Mexico, but the Canadians are still expressing disapproval...more

Ag producers have always fought for less regulation on themselves, but with COOL were imposing more regulation on a different sector of the food chain.  Don't regulate ME but regulate THEE seems inconsistent to me.  And if a program is voluntary, then let it be voluntary without any federal or USDA involvement.

Hoeven said making the program voluntary will maintain “born, raised and slaughtered in the United States" standards for Grade A labeling of meats while meeting WTO mandates. He said the label serves as a marketing tool.

If left alone to do so, ag producers and their organizations are perfectly capable of developing their own marketing tools.

“Families in North Dakota and across the country want to know where the meat they buy and serve comes from,” bill co-sponsor Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., said in a statement.

If that statement is accurate, rest assured the industry will quickly move to satisfy the demand, without any federal rules or mandates. 

Running to Uncle Sam to solve all our problems has been a disaster for agriculture, and it's time we put a stop to it.