http://www.fcc-fac.ca/newsletters/en/express/articles/20080530_e.asp
Begin of Paste from AgriSuccess Express
1. COOL coming with passage of US farm bill
by Rae Groeneveld
Now that the 2008 United States farm bill has become law, Canadian livestock producers are preparing for the ramifications of some of its new features.
Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) is a part of the bill and requires meat from American raised beef and hogs be clearly identified in the supermarket. This means meat from Canadian-born animals will have to be given a separate label and new segregation requirements could end up costing producers.
“I don't think it’s going to vastly affect the quantities of beef that we sell to the U.S.,” says John Masswohl, director of government and international relations with the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. “I think it is going to have a very significant impact on the profitability of cattle producers."
Just how big of a cost it is to producers depends on how the packing industry handles Canadian-born livestock. Masswohl says the new law allows for labels that would declare the meat from multiple countries of origin. Producing for that type of label would allow the packers to process American and Canadian cattle without worrying about segregating the animals.
“As soon as you get into having to segregate and sort out cattle then you create different economic values for different origin of cattle and that's the problem,” he says.
Masswohl says a big part of how this will impact Canadian producers is dependent on the U.S. Department of Agriculture and how they write the rules to accompany the new law.
The Canadian Pork Council has also been closely monitoring the progress of COOL. Executive Director Martin Rice says some retailers have expressed a desire to carry U.S.-only product.
“If the retailers say they want only U.S. product then a processor will have no choice but to stop buying Canadian pigs or segregate them,” Rice says.
End of Paste
We can count down the days until COOL becomes law in the United States. South Korea already has country of origin labelling. If NAFTA beef is allowed to be distinguished by country; Canada, Mexico, United States, then I expect we will see the same kind of downright fear mongering that South Korean producers are doing right now against U.S. beef exports expected to resume this week. Vigils and sometimes violent rallies have taken place on an almost daily basis since the agreement was announced last month.
We all know there are already similar groups in the U.S. and no doubt similar groups would form in Canada with the single purpose of destroying consumer’s confidence in beef from the importing country. Whether we are talking South Korea or the United States, that kind of selfish and thoughtless protectionist action ultimately only will serve to undermine consumer’s confidence in all beef. COOL, especially a COOL that segregates Canadian and Mexican beef from U.S. beef should be seen for what it is… a dangerous and deadly weapon that producers will end up using on themselves.
Begin of Paste from AgriSuccess Express
1. COOL coming with passage of US farm bill
by Rae Groeneveld
Now that the 2008 United States farm bill has become law, Canadian livestock producers are preparing for the ramifications of some of its new features.
Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) is a part of the bill and requires meat from American raised beef and hogs be clearly identified in the supermarket. This means meat from Canadian-born animals will have to be given a separate label and new segregation requirements could end up costing producers.
“I don't think it’s going to vastly affect the quantities of beef that we sell to the U.S.,” says John Masswohl, director of government and international relations with the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. “I think it is going to have a very significant impact on the profitability of cattle producers."
Just how big of a cost it is to producers depends on how the packing industry handles Canadian-born livestock. Masswohl says the new law allows for labels that would declare the meat from multiple countries of origin. Producing for that type of label would allow the packers to process American and Canadian cattle without worrying about segregating the animals.
“As soon as you get into having to segregate and sort out cattle then you create different economic values for different origin of cattle and that's the problem,” he says.
Masswohl says a big part of how this will impact Canadian producers is dependent on the U.S. Department of Agriculture and how they write the rules to accompany the new law.
The Canadian Pork Council has also been closely monitoring the progress of COOL. Executive Director Martin Rice says some retailers have expressed a desire to carry U.S.-only product.
“If the retailers say they want only U.S. product then a processor will have no choice but to stop buying Canadian pigs or segregate them,” Rice says.
End of Paste
We can count down the days until COOL becomes law in the United States. South Korea already has country of origin labelling. If NAFTA beef is allowed to be distinguished by country; Canada, Mexico, United States, then I expect we will see the same kind of downright fear mongering that South Korean producers are doing right now against U.S. beef exports expected to resume this week. Vigils and sometimes violent rallies have taken place on an almost daily basis since the agreement was announced last month.
We all know there are already similar groups in the U.S. and no doubt similar groups would form in Canada with the single purpose of destroying consumer’s confidence in beef from the importing country. Whether we are talking South Korea or the United States, that kind of selfish and thoughtless protectionist action ultimately only will serve to undermine consumer’s confidence in all beef. COOL, especially a COOL that segregates Canadian and Mexican beef from U.S. beef should be seen for what it is… a dangerous and deadly weapon that producers will end up using on themselves.
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