Livestock Groups Appeal Ruling

Livestock Groups Appeal Ruling

Despite the recent court decision to deny their motion for a preliminary injunction to block implementation of the USDA’s final rule on country of origin labeling, several livestock and meat industry groups aren’t giving up just yet. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Pork Producers Council, and the American Association of Meat Processors are among the nine U.S., Canadian, and Mexican meat and livestock groups appealing that decision. They contend that the COOL rule violates their First Amendment protection from compelled speech and would require “costly and detailed labels on meat products that do not directly advance a substantial government interest”. This all started because the WTO ruled that previous labeling practices were unfair to Mexico and Canada. The COOL rule requires that meat labels include information about where the originating animal was born, raised and slaughtered, so the new rules might result in meat labels reading, “Born in Mexico, raised in Canada, slaughtered in United States”. So far, the WTO hasn’t determined if the new COOL rules would remedy the violation. 

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