Yes it does become a product of Tyson or Cargill, and it also becomes an American product. The difference is that Tyson and Cargill do not import live cattle from South America. They import South American beef. If they bring in beef from Canada that was processed in Canada, then it's Canadian beef. The point we're trying to get across is that there's a difference between live cattle and beef. And adding that little word "origin" discriminates against only two people. Canadian and Mexican cattlemen. It does nothing to keep South American beef off the market. In fact, if the North American beef trade was to stop as some would like, it would make it easier for South American beef to get in the door.
“Discriminates” is an interesting choice of word, it’s generally the word of choice of a victim. I don’t buy it that Canadians or Mexicans are victims. Our product is under the same rules as yours. COOL identifies product from your country and my country all the same, and if that product is desired by the consumer, COOL actually becomes a marketing aid for you. What I’m hearing from you is that you don’t think your product will sell.
You are correct, it will do nothing to keep South American beef out of the country, but it will help keep South American beef out of the shopping cart – and that is what matters. Robert Mac made a good point; When all beef is sold under the packer label and that packer’s choice is to buy your cattle or South American, who’s are they going to buy? COOL give you a fighting chance to compete to put your product in the shopping cart. You can’t compete based on price and make a living, and that is what not having COOL makes you do. The world that we’re heading to includes South America having full access to the US and Canada, and unless you have brand loyalty for Canadian product, you’re going to go broke. Simple as that – you can’t compete with South America for Tyson’s buyers. You’ll go broke, Kato.
Everyone is saying how the consumer wants to know where their beef is coming from. Well, with the mixed label, now they know. The requirement has been fulfilled. It's written right on the package.
No, people want to know where their FOOD comes from. This isn’t a beef law, it’s a food law that was consumer driven. The “C” in COOL is for “Country” not “Countries”. You know dang well a mixed label is not what the legislation was intended for.
The problem you guys have with MCOOL is that your intention was to make Canadian cattle so inconvenient for the packers to buy that they would just stay away from them. It had NOTHING TO DO WITH FOOD SAFETY OR CONSUMERS. You wanted to restrict trade from Canada while maintaining unlimited access to our market.
No, we want consumers to put US beef in their carts, and not beef from anyplace else. Otherwise, we’re broke. If we don’t’ have COOL, it’s just a matter of time – and sooner rather than later – and most of the beef being sold in the US AND CANADA will be from someplace other than the US and Canada. It just so happens that our goals mesh well with consumer’s desires.