Members of Congress Send Letter to USDA on COOL Regulations

In a letter signed by 110 members of Congress, U.S. Reps. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) and Rick Crawford (R-Ariz.) have urged Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Michael Froman to rescind the country-of-origin labeling (COOL) requirements imposed on imports from Canada and Mexico if the World Trade Organization (WTO) rules against the United States in its investigation of U.S. COOL regulations. The letter reportedly suggested that Congress is working on a permanent solution to the issue, and it warned that a WTO ruling against the United States could result in detriment to the U.S. economy. “Congress must be prepared to act and find a solution that maintains a healthy relationship with our trading partners and protects the American economy,” Costa said in a July 31, 2014, statement. The letter echoes a similar argument made by food industry groups in July 2014 correspondence. Additional information on the food industry groups’ letter appears in Issue 529 of this Update. The same month, an en banc panel of the D.C. Circuit upheld the COOL rules for the meat industry in a challenge by the American Meat Institute. Further information on the decision appears in Issue
532 of this Update.

Issue 533