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    country of origin labels

    I was just ready some news on country of origin labeling and wondered if anybody can help me out trying figure what this is all about.
    WASHINGTON, June 17 (Reuters) - A U.S. House panel on Tuesday abruptly barred the Agriculture Department from working on country-of-origin labels for meat at a time when the labels have attracted new backing because of mad cow disease in Canada.

    The labels are voluntary now but are scheduled to become mandatory Sept. 30, 2004, as a way for American consumers to identify where meat, seafood, peanuts and fresh fruits and vegetables sold in grocery stores are produced.

    The Republican-led House Appropriations subcommittee on agriculture voted, as part of a $76 billion fiscal 2004 spending bill, to block USDA from implementing mandatory labels for meat and meat products. Other foods are not affected.

    Subcommittee chairman Henry Bonilla, a Texas Republican, said the delay would give lawmakers and the U.S. Agriculture Department time of "air out" objections to the labels by retailers, meatpackers and some livestock producers.

    The action angered some subcommittee members.

    Ohio Democrat Marcy Kaptur said she intended to argue before the full committee for letting USDA proceed with writing rules for mandatory labeling, expected to be issued this fall. The House Appropriations Committee may meet next week to vote on agriculture funding.

    "I believe consumers have the right to know where their food is coming from," said Kaptur. With consumer concern over a case of mad cow disease in Canada, the roadblock to labeling "seems oddly timed," she said.

    The United States last month banned all imports of Canadian beef and meat products, pending Ottawa's investigation of the mad cow disease found in an Alberta cow.

    Canada was pressing the United States to relax the ban, but some U.S. cattle-state lawmakers say it's too soon to open the border.

    But Japan, a major customer for U.S. beef, has requested country-of-origin certificates beginning July 1 for its beef imports. Japan is worried about Canadian cattle shipped to American feedlots for fattening before the trade ban.

    On the retail level, supporters of country-of-origin labels say the labels will be a selling point for U.S. products. Foes say it will be difficult and unduly costly to get the right label on foods.

    "There's been a real sea change in support for this at the producer level," said Iowa Republican Tom Latham.

    Bonilla said he acted on the "controversial, difficult" issue because the House Agriculture Committee wanted to review the law.

    At the same time the subcommittee was meeting, the Agriculture Committee announced a June 24 hearing on country-of-origin labeling.

    A lengthy hearing was planned with witnesses from USDA, livestock and produce groups, and trade groups representing packers, grocers and foodmakers.

    Sen. Tim Johnson, a lead sponsor of the labeling law, said the House subcommittee acted unwisely.

    "With the case of mad cow disease in Canada threatening to kick the legs from under consumer confidence in beef, this is irresponsible," the South Dakota Democrat said in a statement.


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    (c) Reuters

    #2
    topper

    There is so much information on the net about country of origin labels the best thing to do is go to ....

    www.google.com

    and do a search type in "country of origin label" and you will have just under one thousand articles in front of you.

    The main challenge here is the expense of the change over and really the trace ability of the product!

    Even though they say they can trace product through the system it can’t be done past the fabrication door in the processing plant! Big plants are set up to handle product in mass, as the pieces fall off the ccs they become lost in the stream of meat flowing to the box off area!

    Companies like Cargill will routinely ship ungraded Canadian beef to their breaking plant in Fort Morgan and sip bang there you go in a US box. They do this for economic reasons but if they needed to do a country of origin label I wonder if those economic reasons would still be there?

    The country of origin labels has been an issue on the table for a long time now, it has just recently gained momentum and now even some of the people that started the process asking for it have changed sides (maybe realized the cost they would have to pay for it).

    Either way the search above has some very interesting reading in it. Now for Canada, I wonder if the country of origin labels would actually be good for us??? But I am not going to go there knowing the head games going on in the US now. As far as Japan goes, they buy Canadian beef on a regular basis, the Canadian Beef Export Federation does a wonderful job of promoting Canadian Beef their. At the moment however, I think our beef sales outside Canada are a little soft, but soon to pick up steam again ... we all hope.

    Good reading after you have read some of those articles share your thoughts with us here again!

    Comment


      #3
      60 minutes had a artical about this on clothing etc.
      Coat was made in say Japan
      But cotton was grown in USA
      so lable can say made in USA
      The lables that said USA was made
      in Cuba.
      So I's thinking
      Cow was born in Canada
      But grown in USA
      So lable says made in Canada
      thinking not good for sales of cow in USA.

      Comment

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