COOL Challenges

COOL Challenges

I’m Lacy Gray with Washington Ag Today.

Executive Vice President of the Washington Cattlemen’s & Cattlewomen’s Association Jack Field is back today to talk about his hopes for the livestock industry regarding the new Country Of Origin Labeling rules; of which one of the key components is that muscle cut meats will no longer be allowed to be co-mingled, stopping the practice of beef from Canada or Mexico being packaged with U.S. beef.

FIELD: We’re very fortunate in the United States and here in Washington state to have fed cattle processing facilities. We have two here, (Ellensburg), one in Toppenish, and one in Wallula and our trading partners would like to see a label that says if cattle are processed in the United States, then they’re a product of the United States, not that it be born out of the country - whether it’s Canada or Mexico, labeled as such, but processed in the United States. My hope is that as an industry we can get a solution that everybody supports and buys into that gives the consumer certainty and moves us forward - not something that gets mired down in litigation, which unfortunately, I would imagine there will be some level of challenge from our trading partners that believe that COOL has been a negative impact on imports.

Field says that it’s way too early to say what will happen as far as a potential retaliatory response from U.S. trading partners, but when it is all said and done...

FIELD: At the end of the day I hope the label provides quality information to the consumer - allows the consumer to make an educated choice, which will hopefully yield in the purchase and enjoyment of more U.S. product.

I’m Lacy Gray and that’s Washington Ag Today on the Ag Information Network.