Rep. Hageman’s bill would reinstate MCOOL for beef

COOL laws require retailers to inform customers about the source of their food. Agricultural commodities were exempted from MCOOL laws, but beginning in 2002, Congress passed a series of laws implementing MCOOL requirements for select commodities, including beef. However, the World Trade Organization ruled that U.S. MCOOL laws were in violation of WTO rules, and Congress removed it for beef in 2016.

The Country of Origin Labeling Enforcement Act reinstates MCOOL requirements for beef and raises fines for those that falsely label their beef as made in the USA, including multinational packers. The bill also dictates that no ruling from an international body, such as the WTO, will impact our country’s ability to implement country-of-origin requirements.

“American consumers deserve accurate information on the products they buy, and U.S. ranchers deserve honest and fair competition in the marketplace,” stated Hageman. “The U.S. abandoned MCOOL for beef in 2016 following a World Trade Organization ruling. This change lifted the profit margins of monopolistic big packers at the expense of the American rancher. The domestic market is finally providing the means for our producers to keep family ranches alive, and we must protect these operations by providing full transparency of the origin of beef in the marketplace. MCOOL is more important than ever to grow the size of the national herd and stop the blending of cheap foreign beef in high-quality U.S. products.”

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“The Trump administration is quadrupling Argentinian beef imports while our farmers continue to struggle. We need trade policy that puts America first. I’m proud to lead legislation with Rep. Hageman that blocks multinational meatpacking companies that are importing cattle and falsely labeling it as American,” said Khanna.

“Family farmers and ranchers work hard to put safe, high-quality American meat on our tables. Consumers deserve to know where their food comes from — and they want that choice. Restoring mandatory country-of-origin labeling is common sense. It gives families the information they need and ensures a fairer, more competitive marketplace for farmers and ranchers,” said Rob Larew, president, National Farmers Union.

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“We are grateful for Representative Hageman’s leadership in creating a competitive marketplace for both ranchers and consumers with her bill requiring accurate origin information on beef. Consumers deserve the right to choose to buy imported beef or beef from America’s ranchers, and ranchers deserve the right to compete in their own domestic market. This bill will accomplish both,” said Bill Bullard, CEO, R-CALF USA.