WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yet another reintroduction of federal legislation that will better identify U.S. beef is in the pipeline.
In March 2023, USDA proposed a rule which requires that the “Product of USA” or “Made in the USA” labels can only be voluntarily applied to meat, poultry and egg products that are born, raised, slaughtered and processed in the United States.
It doesn’t mandate a U.S.-origin label, but rather creates a voluntary opportunity to claim the label on products if requirements are met. This rule was finalized in March 2024 and went into effect in May 2024.
Because this is a rule issued by an executive agency, it can be revoked at any time by future administrations. Legislation reintroduced by U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) called the USA Beef Act, would permanently protect this rule by putting it into law.
Rounds has also not delayed on again pursuing MCOOL (formerly COOL) for beef. Last week he sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins asking her to develop a framework for reinstating MCOOL, a move Rounds has made under several U.S. ag secretaries.
Country-of-Origin-Labeling (COOL), first authorized in the 2002 Farm Bill and amended and implemented in the 2008 Farm Bill, was found by the World Trade Organization (WTO) to violate trade agreements made between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
The repeal of Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) for beef, pork, and chicken was largely supported by Republicans at the time. Texas Republican Rep. Michael Conaway’s introduced legislation to repeal COOL. It was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in June 2015. U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, R-Kan.,led the charge to repeal COOL in the Senate. It passed in the Senate on December 15, 2015.
Rounds has again launched a nationwide effort in June 2024 to get MCOOL included in the next Farm Bill. This effort was endorsed by 26 farm and ranch groups from across the country. The effort was also co-signed by Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Angus King (I-Maine), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.).
