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Tyson Comes Around on M-COOL-(maybe ?)

A

Anonymous

Guest
October 15, 2008 Phone: 406-672-8969; e-mail: [email protected]



Group Pleased with Tyson’s COOL Letters,

But Still Cautious About Remaining Loopholes


Washington, D.C. – On Tuesday (Oct. 14), multinational meatpacker Tyson Fresh Meats (Tyson) – the largest packer in the U.S. – sent letters to cattle feeders and retailers that state it will begin to improve its compliance with the mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) law by using a USA label on most beef that comes from USA cattle that are born, raised and slaughtered in the United States. The COOL law took effect Sept. 30, 2008, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a six-month grace period before full enforcement would begin.



Tyson previously led the beef packing industry into disregarding Congress’ intent by stating it would label all beef with a North American label (such as “Product of the United States, Canada, and Mexico”). Tyson went so far as to send affidavits to producers that had two boxes for producers to check: one box for producers who would provide only USA cattle and the other for producers who would provide cattle of mixed origin. However, Tyson actually had pre-checked only the box for mixed origin, meaning that no cattle delivered to Tyson would be verified as exclusively of U.S. origin.



“In Tuesday’s letter, Tyson acknowledged that if it doesn’t comply with the intent of the COOL law, then industry groups (like R-CALF USA, the National Farmers Union and consumer groups) would go back to Congress and force the packers to comply,” said R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard. “Tyson also acknowledged in its letter that about 90 percent of all the beef produced in the U.S. would qualify for the exclusive USA label.



“Tyson’s letter also states that it supports the use of visual inspections by producers, allowing them to identify foreign animals by their import markings, and USA cattle by their lack of import markings,” he continued. “Finally, Tyson also is informing producers who deliver cattle to Tyson they can sign a continuous affidavit that states they will always deliver USA cattle to Tyson, and that a new affidavit would not be needed for each load.”



Bullard said it is important to know the reason Tyson is doing this is because it believes that if it does not make an attempt to comply with the intent of the COOL law, it will be forced to very soon. Tyson still wants to be able to finish a production line of mixed origin beef by adding, if necessary, USA livestock to that mixed-origin production line.



“This would mean that meat from some USA livestock would continue to be mislabeled as North American meat,” Bullard explained. “In other words, Tyson is hoping to preserve this degree of flexibility by now offering to label most products properly. R-CALF USA’s position is that meat from all U.S. livestock must be labeled with only the USA label.”



Also, while USDA currently allows producers to use a visual inspection to check for import markings as a basis for signing a producer affidavit for one year (until July 15, 2009), it is not yet permanent. R-CALF USA wants this to be permanent, but in order to accomplish this, the U.S. must begin to require that all imported animals be permanently marked with a foreign marking. Right now, this requirement only applies to cattle from Canada and Mexico due to health-related regulations.



“When livestock are removed from the Department of the Treasury’s ‘J-List,’ which is the list of products, including livestock, that are exempt from the United States’ current marking requirement, then we will have achieved this goal,” Bullard pointed out. “In other words, when livestock are removed from the ‘J-List,’ all imported livestock – regardless of whether there are health concerns for a particular country – would be required to be permanently marked with a foreign marking as a condition of entry into the United States. And, visual inspections can thereafter be a permanent means of verifying origin without having to mark U.S. cattle.”



“While R-CALF USA is pleased that Tyson has made this new offer, which will lead to better compliance with the COOL law, we will continue to fight to close all the loopholes in USDA’s COOL rule,” said R-CALF USA COOL Committee Chair Mike Schultz. “This means we have a lot of work to do over the next year or more.



“We must now work to persuade the other meatpackers to follow Tyson’s lead and we will continue to ask our members to encourage everyone they know to start asking their grocers for USA beef,” Schultz concluded. “We want to encourage U.S. consumers to support U.S. cattle producers by asking for USA beef!”



Note: To view/download Tyson’s letters on COOL, please visit the “Country-of-Origin Labeling” link at www.r-calfusa.com.
 

PORKER

Well-known member
MEATPOULTRY.com, October 17, 2008)
by Bryan Salvage

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. — Six officers who will guide the American Meat Institute through the next year were elected during A.M.I.’s Annual Business Meeting in Colorado Springs, Colo. J. Patrick Boyle was reelected by the A.M.I. membership to serve a twentieth year as the Institute’s president and c.e.o.

The newly-elected officers for 2008-2009 include Rod Brenneman, president and chief executive officer of Seaboard Foods, chairman; Jeffrey Ettinger, chairman of the board, president and c.e.o. of Hormel Foods Corporation, vice-chairman; Dennis Vignieri, president and c.e.o. of Kenosha Beef International Ltd., treasurer; Larry Odom, chairman, c.e.o. and president of Odom’s Tennessee Pride Sausage Inc., secretary; and David Miniat, president of Ed Miniat Inc., becomes immediate past chairman.

"The upcoming year presents our industry with immense opportunity accompanied by serious challenges, as we continue to improve the food safety profile of our products, work for a common sense biofuel policy and overcome trade barriers," Mr. Boyle said. "The leadership and diverse experience of these new A.M.I. officers will be critical in our efforts to continue to advance this industry."
 

PPRM

Well-known member
It appears as if they don't really percieve any cattlemen as being part of the Meat Industry....

We can only take hold of the Beef Industry..If we choose to,

PPRM
 

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