[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 72 (Thursday, May 20, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5951-S5952]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

 By Mr. DASCHLE (for himself, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Conrad, Mr. Wyden, and 
                        Mr. Graham of Florida):

  S. 2451. A bill to amend the agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to 
restore the application date for country of origin labeling; read the 
first time.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, today the Washington Post reported that 
the United States Department of Agriculture secretly allowed American 
meatpackers to resume imports of ground and processed beef from Canada 
last September, just weeks after Secretary Veneman publicly reaffirmed 
the Department's ban on such importation as a result of mad cow disease 
being found in Canadian-born cattle.
  The article states that a total of 33 million pounds of Canadian 
processed beef came into the United States and went straight to 
American consumers under a series of undisclosed permits USDA issued to 
the meatpackers.
  This is how today's article describes Secretary Veneman's public 
position last August:

       She and her top deputies said ground beef imports would 
     resume only after the agency completed a formal rulemaking 
     process, with public debate.

  There was no public debate. Instead, there were undisclosed permits 
allowing banned Canadian beef in the United States.
  Not only am I extremely concerned that the Department of Agriculture 
deceived American consumers by allowing the import of Canadian beef 
that was previously banned, but I am also disappointed that the Bush 
administration is actually working to prevent American consumers from 
knowing where the food they buy comes from.
  That is why I am introducing a bill today that will require USDA to 
implement country-of-origin labeling on schedule this September. That 
was the date agreed upon in the Farm Bill which the President signed 
into law in 2002.
   Unfortunately, at the urging of the Bush administration and the 
large meatpackers--most likely the same people who urged USDA to issue 
permits to allow the importation of banned Canadian meat products--
Republican leaders in Congress inserted language into last year's 
omnibus appropriations bill in the dead of night delaying 
implementation of country-of-origin labeling for 2 years until 
September 2006.
   The bill I am introducing today is what the Senate has voted to do 
several times: Inform consumers about the origin of their food.
   Over 80 percent of American consumers have said they want to know 
the country of origin of their food, and over 170 groups representing 
over 50 million Americans support mandatory food labeling.
   We must not allow anyone who may represent special interests, anyone 
who now abrogates the spirit as well as the letter of the law to choose 
big business interests over the interests of the average American 
family. We must ensure consumer confidence, particularly now in light 
of recent developments. We would have not had the situation of 33 
million pounds of banned beef entering the United States if it couldn't 
have been properly labeled.
   This legislation is long overdue. It is time that it become the law 
of the land.
   Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
   There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 2451

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

[[Page S5952]]

     SECTION 1. COUNTRY OF ORIGIN LABELING.

       Section 285 of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 
     U.S.C. 1638d) is amended by striking ``2006'' and all that 
     follows through ``2004'' and inserting ``2004''.
                                 ______