Jim Costa: “We are again, I think, missing an opportunity with regard to the country of origin labeling, otherwise referred to as…”

“We are again, I think, missing an opportunity with regard to the country of origin labeling, otherwise referred to as COOL. COOL has proven, as Mr. Crawford has stated, to be a failed experiment. We are seeing an increased cost to ranchers and processors in order to comply with these regulations that are ultimately passed on to the consumers and to make it more difficult to provide the separate lines of animal source from different countries to fulfill the intent of the law. This program has added nothing but cost to the cattle industry in America, and it is time where we make an attempt to deal with these added costs. To be totally honest, we don't even know what the actual costs to the industry are. Its producers and processors have had difficulty putting together a formal economic impact, so an analysis has never yet been done. Finally--and probably more important--it is threatening to the trade relationship with our two biggest markets in the export of U.S. beef, pork, and chicken, which is Canada and Mexico. Should, as we all assume, the WTO rule against the United States, we will face harsh retaliatory efforts against the products produced here and we are trying to encourage, not only in my home State of California, but in America. No one wants to see retaliatory efforts made by Canada or Mexico. I know, in talking with producers and people in the industry in Canada and Mexico, they don't want to pursue retaliatory efforts.…”