.S. Cattle Producers Pleased with Rehberg Legislation
to Remove Imported Cattle from J-List;
Move Could Hasten Date of COOL Implementation
(Billings, Mont.) – R-CALF USA is extremely pleased that U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., today introduced legislation that would remove all imported cattle from the J-List, the current list of imported products that are now exempt from the United States' general requirement that all imported goods be identified with a mark of origin.
"Our hats are off to Representative Rehberg for leading the way on a matter of such critical importance not only to U.S. cattle producers, but also to U.S. beef consumers," said Leo McDonnell, R-CALF USA president and co-founder. "Rehberg has signaled loud and clear to his colleagues the importance of being able to clearly identify and track live cattle coming into the United States from any country we trade with."
The J-List is named after "Paragraph J" of the Treasury Department's statute. Under U.S. and international trade laws, all countries are authorized to require imported goods and products to be identified with a country-of-origin marking. Livestock, however, were exempted at the request of the industry, and that meant cattle were excluded from the branding provisions of the statute, called the "Tariff Act of 1930."
Rehberg's legislation specifically requires, that with respect to live cattle, each imported animal "shall be marked so as to identify the country of origin by means of branding or an equally permanent method of marking."
"Once cattle are removed from the J-List, all imported cattle will be marked with their respective country's mark of origin, and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will immediately have the ability to verify the origins of all cattle standing at the packer-house gate, and it won't cost U.S. producers a dime," McDonnell explained. "This will allow for an earlier implementation date of the Mandatory Country-of-Origin Labeling (M-COOL) law that has a current effective date of Sept. 30, 2006."
R-CALF USA has been working to get cattle removed from the J-List since the passage of M-COOL in the 2002 Farm Bill. M-COOL was to have taken effect in 2004, but opponents succeeded in delaying implementation until Sept. 30, 2006. USDA is one of those opponents. The agency has openly opposed M-COOL and continues to do so today. In fact, the agency issued a scare-tactic study that attempted to convince producers and consumers that M-COOL would cost billions of dollars, and someone – namely consumers – would have to foot the bill.
"This is a perfect example of how a government agency that's supposed to represent your interests can make things much harder than they ever have to be," McDonnell noted. "We've explained time and time again to USDA ways to make COOL work without being a burden to anyone, with very little cost, if any involved.
"Just go check out the seafood display at your local grocery store and you'll see tiny placards next to each item identifying which country that product came from," he pointed out. "COOL for seafood went into effect earlier this month, and it's not costing those grocers an arm and a leg to make those labeling signs.
"We can do the same with live cattle by simply marking them with a permanent brand when they're at our borders, and it's simply not going to cost billions," McDonnell continued. "In fact, marking those animals probably will have a positive market effect because consumers will then know our government is keeping track of those animals – especially any Canadian cattle that might be imported in the future – unlike what the agency practices today."
In addition to enabling the immediate implementation of M-COOL, removing cattle from the J-List also will help USDA trace cattle for disease-related purposes. Because all foreign cattle would be permanently marked with a country-of-origin marking, USDA would be able to immediately identify and track cattle from a foreign country where a disease outbreak has occurred.
An independent 2003 study, completed in 2003 by five university economists and law professors, reinforces R-CALF USA's position that M-COOL can be lawfully implemented without violating trade law and without imposing a cost on U.S. cattle producers. The study is titled "Country of Origin Labeling: A Legal and Economic Analysis," and can be viewed at:
www.r-calfusa.com by clicking on "Country of Origin Labeling." Visitors to the site will notice the study has been moved to the top of the items in that section for approximately one week.
"Again, R-CALF wants to express our gratitude to Denny Rehberg," McDonnell concluded. "He's been a friend of agriculture for many years. He understands the cattle industry, and he's not afraid to stand up and do what's right for U.S. ranchers and U.S. consumers, and we commend him for that solid kind of leadership."
# # #
R-CALF USA (Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America) represents thousands of U.S. cattle producers on domestic and international trade and marketing issues. R-CALF USA, a national, non-profit organization, is dedicated to ensuring the continued profitability and viability of the U.S. cattle industry. R-CALF USA's membership consists primarily of cow-calf operators, cattle backgrounders, and feedlot owners. Its members – over 14,500 strong – are located in 46 states, and the organization has over 60 local and state association affiliates, from both cattle and farm organizations. Various main street businesses are associate members of R-CALF USA. For more information, visit www.r-calfusa.com or, call 406-252-2516.
to Remove Imported Cattle from J-List;
Move Could Hasten Date of COOL Implementation
(Billings, Mont.) – R-CALF USA is extremely pleased that U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., today introduced legislation that would remove all imported cattle from the J-List, the current list of imported products that are now exempt from the United States' general requirement that all imported goods be identified with a mark of origin.
"Our hats are off to Representative Rehberg for leading the way on a matter of such critical importance not only to U.S. cattle producers, but also to U.S. beef consumers," said Leo McDonnell, R-CALF USA president and co-founder. "Rehberg has signaled loud and clear to his colleagues the importance of being able to clearly identify and track live cattle coming into the United States from any country we trade with."
The J-List is named after "Paragraph J" of the Treasury Department's statute. Under U.S. and international trade laws, all countries are authorized to require imported goods and products to be identified with a country-of-origin marking. Livestock, however, were exempted at the request of the industry, and that meant cattle were excluded from the branding provisions of the statute, called the "Tariff Act of 1930."
Rehberg's legislation specifically requires, that with respect to live cattle, each imported animal "shall be marked so as to identify the country of origin by means of branding or an equally permanent method of marking."
"Once cattle are removed from the J-List, all imported cattle will be marked with their respective country's mark of origin, and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will immediately have the ability to verify the origins of all cattle standing at the packer-house gate, and it won't cost U.S. producers a dime," McDonnell explained. "This will allow for an earlier implementation date of the Mandatory Country-of-Origin Labeling (M-COOL) law that has a current effective date of Sept. 30, 2006."
R-CALF USA has been working to get cattle removed from the J-List since the passage of M-COOL in the 2002 Farm Bill. M-COOL was to have taken effect in 2004, but opponents succeeded in delaying implementation until Sept. 30, 2006. USDA is one of those opponents. The agency has openly opposed M-COOL and continues to do so today. In fact, the agency issued a scare-tactic study that attempted to convince producers and consumers that M-COOL would cost billions of dollars, and someone – namely consumers – would have to foot the bill.
"This is a perfect example of how a government agency that's supposed to represent your interests can make things much harder than they ever have to be," McDonnell noted. "We've explained time and time again to USDA ways to make COOL work without being a burden to anyone, with very little cost, if any involved.
"Just go check out the seafood display at your local grocery store and you'll see tiny placards next to each item identifying which country that product came from," he pointed out. "COOL for seafood went into effect earlier this month, and it's not costing those grocers an arm and a leg to make those labeling signs.
"We can do the same with live cattle by simply marking them with a permanent brand when they're at our borders, and it's simply not going to cost billions," McDonnell continued. "In fact, marking those animals probably will have a positive market effect because consumers will then know our government is keeping track of those animals – especially any Canadian cattle that might be imported in the future – unlike what the agency practices today."
In addition to enabling the immediate implementation of M-COOL, removing cattle from the J-List also will help USDA trace cattle for disease-related purposes. Because all foreign cattle would be permanently marked with a country-of-origin marking, USDA would be able to immediately identify and track cattle from a foreign country where a disease outbreak has occurred.
An independent 2003 study, completed in 2003 by five university economists and law professors, reinforces R-CALF USA's position that M-COOL can be lawfully implemented without violating trade law and without imposing a cost on U.S. cattle producers. The study is titled "Country of Origin Labeling: A Legal and Economic Analysis," and can be viewed at:
www.r-calfusa.com by clicking on "Country of Origin Labeling." Visitors to the site will notice the study has been moved to the top of the items in that section for approximately one week.
"Again, R-CALF wants to express our gratitude to Denny Rehberg," McDonnell concluded. "He's been a friend of agriculture for many years. He understands the cattle industry, and he's not afraid to stand up and do what's right for U.S. ranchers and U.S. consumers, and we commend him for that solid kind of leadership."
# # #
R-CALF USA (Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America) represents thousands of U.S. cattle producers on domestic and international trade and marketing issues. R-CALF USA, a national, non-profit organization, is dedicated to ensuring the continued profitability and viability of the U.S. cattle industry. R-CALF USA's membership consists primarily of cow-calf operators, cattle backgrounders, and feedlot owners. Its members – over 14,500 strong – are located in 46 states, and the organization has over 60 local and state association affiliates, from both cattle and farm organizations. Various main street businesses are associate members of R-CALF USA. For more information, visit www.r-calfusa.com or, call 406-252-2516.
