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NFU Urges Congress to Ensure COOL Implementation
Grain Net
Jan. 05 2007
Washington, DC -- National Farmers Union, along with a group of national organizations including the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and the Association of Family Farms (AFF) said Jan. 5 that implementing mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) should be a top priority for the 110th Congress.
Congress passed the labeling law in 2002, requiring retailers to notify consumers of the country-of-origin of beef, pork, lamb, produce, peanuts and seafood.
Yet through a series of back room deals, riders have been added to "must pass legislation" that prohibited the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from actually implementing the law, with the exception of seafood.
"Country-of-origin labeling is an essential tool for U.S. consumers and food producers alike," NFU President Tom Buis said.
"This is the only mechanism to differentiate high quality U.S. produced food." In a letter to the Chairmen and Ranking members of the U.S. House and Senate Agriculture and Appropriations Committees the coalition said that the time has come for Congress to provide USDA with implementation funds and require the department to immediately prepare a common-sense rule for implementing mandatory COOL.
"American consumers and producers have, time and again, expressed their strong support for this program," Buis said.
"In fact, more than 80 percent of U.S. consumers want to know where their food comes from. We hope the new Congress will act with deliberate speed on this important matter."
The following is the list of groups that signed the letter:
- National Farmers Union
- Consumers Federation of America
- Association of Family Farms
- American Agriculture Movement Inc.
- American Corn Growers Association
- American Meat Goat Association
- Cattlemen's Legal Fund
- CJD Foundation
- Food and Water Watch
- National Association of Counties
- National Association of Farmer Elected Committees
- National Catholic Rural Life Conference
- National Consumers League
- National Family Farm Coalition
- National Farmers Organization
- Organization for Competitive Markets
- R-CALF United Stockgrowers of America
grainnet.com
Grain Net
Jan. 05 2007
Washington, DC -- National Farmers Union, along with a group of national organizations including the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and the Association of Family Farms (AFF) said Jan. 5 that implementing mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) should be a top priority for the 110th Congress.
Congress passed the labeling law in 2002, requiring retailers to notify consumers of the country-of-origin of beef, pork, lamb, produce, peanuts and seafood.
Yet through a series of back room deals, riders have been added to "must pass legislation" that prohibited the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from actually implementing the law, with the exception of seafood.
"Country-of-origin labeling is an essential tool for U.S. consumers and food producers alike," NFU President Tom Buis said.
"This is the only mechanism to differentiate high quality U.S. produced food." In a letter to the Chairmen and Ranking members of the U.S. House and Senate Agriculture and Appropriations Committees the coalition said that the time has come for Congress to provide USDA with implementation funds and require the department to immediately prepare a common-sense rule for implementing mandatory COOL.
"American consumers and producers have, time and again, expressed their strong support for this program," Buis said.
"In fact, more than 80 percent of U.S. consumers want to know where their food comes from. We hope the new Congress will act with deliberate speed on this important matter."
The following is the list of groups that signed the letter:
- National Farmers Union
- Consumers Federation of America
- Association of Family Farms
- American Agriculture Movement Inc.
- American Corn Growers Association
- American Meat Goat Association
- Cattlemen's Legal Fund
- CJD Foundation
- Food and Water Watch
- National Association of Counties
- National Association of Farmer Elected Committees
- National Catholic Rural Life Conference
- National Consumers League
- National Family Farm Coalition
- National Farmers Organization
- Organization for Competitive Markets
- R-CALF United Stockgrowers of America
grainnet.com