Political Quotes

“I want to thank Chairman Cochran and Senator Bumpers for accepting the amendment I offered to ban egg repackaging as part of the Agriculture Appropriations Bill. This amendment is a first step in continuing to ensure the safety of the nation's egg supply. On April 17, 1998, the Secretary of Agriculture announced a prohibition on the repackaging of eggs packed under the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) voluntary grading program. This amendment codifies Secretary Glickman's prohibition which took effect on April 27, and affects eggs packed in cartons that bear the USDA grade shield. A recent ``Dateline NBC'' program focused public attention on the repackaging of shell eggs by egg packers, and raised concerns about this practice. This amendment will prohibit shell eggs that have left the packing plant, and been shipped for sale, from being returned to the packing plant for repackaging into USDA shielded cartons. This amendment affects the approximately 30% of shell eggs voluntarily graded by USDA.”