[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 6 (Wednesday, January 26, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E98]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF LEGISLATION THAT IS IMPORTANT TO RANCHERS AND CONSUMERS

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                         HON. STEPHANIE HERSETH

                            of south dakota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 26, 2005

  Ms. HERSETH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, along with my colleague, 
Representative Barbara Cubin of Wyoming, to introduce a piece of 
legislation that we believe is vitally important for the ranchers of 
our states and for consumers across the country.
  On December 29, 2004, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced 
regulations that would enable certain countries, including Canada, to 
qualify as ``minimal-risk regions'' for the disease bovine spongiform 
encephalopathy or BSE. Thus, on March 7, 2005, Canadian cattle will 
again be allowed into the United States after a 19-month moratorium on 
those animals due to a BSE outbreak in that country. Since the 
announcement of that rule, the government of Canada has discovered and 
confirmed two additional cases of BSE in that country's cattle herd. 
Despite this fact, USDA has not announced an intention to reexamine the 
rule or to postpone the date that it will open our borders to Canadian 
cattle.
  Language to require country-of-origin labeling (COOL) for certain 
meat and perishable agricultural products was included in the Farm 
Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, also known as the 2002 Farm 
Bill. Under that law, this provision was set to become operational on 
September 30, 2004. Unfortunately, Congress has postponed the 
implementation date for COOL until September 30, 2006. Even more 
distressing, opponents of COOL have begun an effort to replace the 
mandatory COOL program with a voluntary one.
  Mandatory COOL is important policy for several reasons. First, it 
would distinguish American meat products from those that are being 
imported into this country. This would enable American ranchers and 
pork producers and others to promote domestically produced meat 
products that rancher in my state believe are superior to meat and live 
animals produced in other countries.
  Secondly, it will give American consumers information that they have 
repeatedly stated they want about the origin of the meat that they buy 
at the grocery store. American consumers know where virtually all of 
their consumer goods are manufactured, but not something as important 
as the food that they provide for their families. They want this 
information and they should have access to it.
  Providing consumers with access to country-of-origin information 
becomes particularly important in light of our Department of 
Agriculture's intention open the border to animals from a country that 
has recently found multiple cases of BSE.
  This bill would prevent USDA from opening the Canadian border to 
cattle imports until after a mandatory COOL program is up and running. 
Consumers want this information, and producers will benefit from having 
this information available. It is good policy and I urge my colleagues 
to support this bill.

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