The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“INTRODUCTION OF LEGISLATION THAT IS IMPORTANT TO RANCHERS AND CONSUMERS” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E98 on Jan. 26, 2005.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
INTRODUCTION OF LEGISLATION THAT IS IMPORTANT TO RANCHERS AND CONSUMERS
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HON. STEPHANIE HERSETH
of south dakota
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Ms. HERSETH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, along with my colleague, Representative Barbara Cubin of Wyoming, to introduce a piece of legislation that we believe is vitally important for the ranchers of our states and for consumers across the country.
On December 29, 2004, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced regulations that would enable certain countries, including Canada, to qualify as ``minimal-risk regions'' for the disease bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE. Thus, on March 7, 2005, Canadian cattle will again be allowed into the United States after a 19-month moratorium on those animals due to a BSE outbreak in that country. Since the announcement of that rule, the government of Canada has discovered and confirmed two additional cases of BSE in that country's cattle herd. Despite this fact, USDA has not announced an intention to reexamine the rule or to postpone the date that it will open our borders to Canadian cattle.
Language to require country-of-origin labeling (COOL) for certain meat and perishable agricultural products was included in the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, also known as the 2002 Farm Bill. Under that law, this provision was set to become operational on September 30, 2004. Unfortunately, Congress has postponed the implementation date for COOL until September 30, 2006. Even more distressing, opponents of COOL have begun an effort to replace the mandatory COOL program with a voluntary one.
Mandatory COOL is important policy for several reasons. First, it would distinguish American meat products from those that are being imported into this country. This would enable American ranchers and pork producers and others to promote domestically produced meat products that rancher in my state believe are superior to meat and live animals produced in other countries.
Secondly, it will give American consumers information that they have repeatedly stated they want about the origin of the meat that they buy at the grocery store. American consumers know where virtually all of their consumer goods are manufactured, but not something as important as the food that they provide for their families. They want this information and they should have access to it.
Providing consumers with access to country-of-origin information becomes particularly important in light of our Department of Agriculture's intention open the border to animals from a country that has recently found multiple cases of BSE.
This bill would prevent USDA from opening the Canadian border to cattle imports until after a mandatory COOL program is up and running. Consumers want this information, and producers will benefit from having this information available. It is good policy and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
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