MCOOL ACTION ALERT

 To: Everyone

From: Bill Bullard, CEO

Date: July 10, 2024

Subject:  Urgent! Need Immediate Calls for Senate MCOOL Letter!

 

Background:  Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) has extended the deadline for including more Senators on his letter (copied below) urging Congress to include mandatory country of origin labeling (MCOOL) in the 2024 Farm Bill. The deadline is this Friday, July 12!

Action:  This is Urgent! We need to flood both your Senators’ offices with calls and emails urging them to join Sen. Rounds’ letter supporting MCOOL in the Farm Bill. (Some of you may have an email address but please call the office as well.)

Track who has cosigned the letter at www.rounds.senate.gov/mcool2024.

If your Senator has not joined on the letter, please keep calling them until they tell you they will join the MCOOL letter. You can reach both of your Senators by calling the Capitol Switchboard and asking for them by name: 202-224-3121.

Your Senators can join the letter by contacting:

Lucas Heitkamp

202-224-5842

Lucas_Heitkamp@rounds.senate.gov

 

Remember:  Deadline is this Friday, July 12!

Thank you for your help!

Here is Senator Rounds’ letter:

July X, 2024

 

The Honorable Debbie Stabenow
Chairman
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable John Boozman
Ranking Member
Senate Agriculture Committee
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Chairwoman Stabenow and Ranking Member Boozman:

American farmers and ranchers produce the highest quality beef products in the world. Consumers and producers across the nation recognize this fact and are in search of additional market integrity. Therefore, we believe it is past time to reinstate mandatory country of origin labeling (MCOOL) for beef. As the Senate Agriculture Committee develops a new Farm Bill, we believe it is necessary to work towards a feasible MCOOL solution.

For almost a century, U.S. trade law has required the majority of imported products to bear a country of origin label. Americans recognize the clear benefits of consumer labeling laws and regularly use this information when making important purchasing decisions. Yet as you know, a number of agricultural commodities have been excluded from country of origin labeling requirements. In response, a broad coalition of producer and consumer groups worked to incorporate retail-level MCOOL in the 2002 Farm Bill.

Following the successful implementation of MCOOL, producers and consumers enjoyed a short-lived period of marketplace transparency. This change applied the same country of origin labeling standards to beef as the majority of other consumer goods sold in America. Unfortunately, a coalition of large meatpacking companies and foreign beef interests worked to repeal MCOOL. After Canada and Mexico filed a dispute with the World Trade Organization (WTO), Congress officially rescinded the law in 2015.

Since the repeal of MCOOL, American cattle producers have experienced significant market fluctuations. Concurrently, the largest meat packers have realized immense profits through the use of forward contracting and formula-based sales. While cattle prices are currently on the rise, it is evident producers will again encounter market disruptions. As farmers and ranchers deal with a volatile market, it is imperative the federal government work to provide a level playing field. This can be achieved through supporting additional transparency in our beef labeling system.

Our American farmers and ranchers work hard to provide the safest and best tasting beef in the world. Producers of foreign beef should not receive an unfair advantage when engaging in our domestic markets, especially as our competitors do not always meet American animal health and consumer safety standards. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recent “Product of the USA” final rulemaking is a step in the right direction, but there is more work to be done.

Without a reasonable solution to the MCOOL question, hardworking American farmers and ranchers will continue to be put at a disadvantage. It is our hope Congress will use the Farm Bill to address this pressing issue. This would entail using the legislation to require U.S. trade leaders to develop a WTO compliant means of reimplementing MCOOL.

Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to working with you as we move closer to finalizing the upcoming Farm Bill.

Sincerely,

# # #

Ranchers Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA) is the largest producer-only lobbying and trade association representing U.S. cattle producers. It is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring the continued profitability and viability of the U.S. cattle and sheep industries. For more information, visit www.r-calfusa.com or call (406) 252-2516.