Bipartisan Bill Seeks to Reinstate MCOOL Labeling for U.S. Beef

Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., have reintroduced the Country of Origin Labeling Enforcement Act, which would reinstate mandatory country-of-origin labeling (MCOOL) for beef. 

“American consumers deserve accurate information on the products they buy, and U.S. ranchers deserve honest and fair competition in the marketplace. The U.S. abandoned MCOOL for beef in 2016 following a World Trade Organization ruling. This change lifted the profit margins of monopolistic big packers at the expense of the American rancher. The domestic market is finally providing the means for our producers to keep family ranches alive, and we must protect these operations by providing full transparency of the origin of beef in the marketplace. MCOOL is more important than ever to grow the size of the national herd and stop the blending of cheap foreign beef in high-quality U.S. products,” Hageman said in a statement.

“The Trump administration is quadrupling Argentinian beef imports while our farmers continue to struggle. We need trade policy that puts America first. I’m proud to lead legislation with Rep. Hageman that blocks multi-national meat packing companies that are importing cattle and falsely labeling it as American,” Khanna added.

The bill is supported by the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, USA (R-CALF), a group who has historically advocated for country-of-origin labeling and was criticized for aligning with animal-rights activist groups on the Opportunities for Fairness in Farming (OFF) Act.

At a news conference last week,  U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins assured AGDAILY and other reporters that imports are largely used for lower-cost ground beef. “What the president was talking about was nothing much different from what we have done for a really long time,” Rollins said. “Currently, we import about 20,000 metric tons from Argentina, so a very small amount. The president was talking about going to 40-, 60-, or 80,000 metric tons — even a small amount of the 2 million we already import [in total annually from other countries].”

Country of origin labeling food laws require retailers to inform customers about the source of their food. Agricultural commodities were exempted from MCOOL laws, but beginning in 2002, Congress passed a series of laws implementing MCOOL requirements for select commodities, including beef. However, the World Trade Organization ruled that U.S. MCOOL laws were in violation of WTO rules, and Congress removed it for beef in 2016.

The Country of Origin Labeling Enforcement Act reinstates MCOOL requirements for beef and raises fines for those falsely labeling their beef as made in the U.S.A., including the multinational packers. The bill also dictates that no ruling from an international body, such as the WTO, impacts our country’s ability to implement country of origin requirements.

“We are grateful for Representative Hageman’s leadership in creating a competitive marketplace for both ranchers and consumers with her bill requiring accurate origin information on beef. Consumers deserve the right to choose to buy imported beef or beef from America’s ranchers, and ranchers deserve the right to compete in their own domestic market. This bill will accomplish both,” said Bill Bullard, CEO, R-CALF USA.

Hageman and Khanna were joined on the bill by Reps. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio; Thomas Massie, R-Ky.; Chip Roy, R-Texas; and Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S., R-Ariz.