10/03/08 COOL informed compliance period

It took years of debate, more years to develop a law, delays and now, COOL is officially law. COOL is country of origin labeling that identifies where fresh agricultural products including meats got their start and where they've been. RYDELL "Country of origin labeling on the surface seems simple but once you begin working with everybody in the supply line from the farmer and rancher all the way to the grocery store it gets complicated." American Farm Bureau's Caroline Rydell. USDA Undersecretary Bruce Knight has more than 200 comments from the public to evaluate in the coming weeks but with the comment period over and the law in place he's moving forward with a six month informed compliance approach. KNIGHT "Working with them very closely. Making sure that they are implementing country of origin labeling in a manner which will provide to consumers the information that they're looking for. A six month informed compliance stage for implementation allows people to move gradually and correctly into compliance with country of origin labeling." Knight says they're trying to help producers by allowing a series of affidavits that will minimize the regulatory burden in addition to using the national animal ID system to provide information into COOL. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott