WASHINGTON, D.C. – Included in the 2007 Farm BillConference Report, which passed the Senate today by a vote of 81-15, was a provision supported by U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), to help consumers make informed decisions about their purchases.  The legislation requires country of origin labeling (COOL) for meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, and other products.  This issue is particularly important to Washington’s cattle industry.  Measured by value of production, cattle is the third largest commodity in Washington state, bringing more than $600 million per year into the state’s economy.

 

“According to the most recent figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, approximately 10 percent of the beef and 20 percent of the fresh produce consumed in the United States is imported,” said Cantwell.  “In order for consumers to make informed decisions, they must have information at their disposal.  Country of origin labeling will enable consumers to ensure that their purchases are not the products of harmful environmental or unfair labor practices, and would allow them to choose to buy American products from American producers.”

 

While imported agricultural products processed in the U.S. receive an inspection label from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), they are not necessarily labeled to indicate their country of origin.  Although the foods are inspected when upon arrival in the U.S., a 1998 study by the General Accounting Office (the investigative arm of Congress) found unsafe foods were slipping past the government's import inspectors, posing a possible threat to U.S. consumers.

 

The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act, also known as the 2002 Farm Bill, was signed into law on May 13, 2002, and required country of origin labeling.  Mandatory labeling was set to be implemented by September 30, 2004, but in January of that year President Bush signed a law that delayed the implementation of mandatory labeling for all commodities except fish and shellfish until 2006.  In November 2005, the president signed another extension that put off mandatory labeling until September 30, 2008. 

 

Last year, Cantwell sent a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee to include the COOL language in the Senate’s version of the Farm Bill and prevent further delay of COOL implementation.

 

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