Ohio Farmers Union

Serving Family Farmers and Consumers Since 1934



United to Grow Family Agriculture Since 1934

  • About
    • The Farmers Union Triangle
    • Vision
    • OFU Leadership
  • Issues
    • 2020 Virtual Lobby Days
    • OFU Policy & NFU Policy
    • 2019 Lobby Day Registration
    • Get Involved!
    • NFU Climate Leaders
  • Education
    • 2019 OFU Essay Contest
    • Ohio Farmers Union Scholarships
    • Farm Safety
    • Renewable Energy Curriculum
  • Insurance
    • Hastings Mutual Insurance Co.
    • Health & Other Offerings
    • Ohio BWC Group Coverage
  • Join Us
    • Member Benefits
    • Insurance
  • Blog

National Farmers Union sends positive comments to feds on COOL

April 1, 2013 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

Then National Farmers Union today submitted positive comments to the USDA on proposed changes to the  Country of Origin Labeling rule or “COOL.”

COOL mandates that certain foods must be labeled at the retailer with their country of origin. Originally passed as part of the 2007 Farm Bill, COOL was initiated by rule in 2009. Canada and Mexico successfully attacked the first version of COOL as promoting unfair trade practices before the World Trade Organization. The Obama Administration chose to deal with the ruling by not totally abandoning COOL, but by rewriting the rule.

Fighting against COOL are agribusiness giants like Tyson Foods and Cargill who routinely mix animals or animal products from other countries into products such as ground beef. Proponents of the rule argue that U.S. consumers deserve to know where their food is coming from and that U.S. raised and processed food will benefit from consumer awareness.

“Farmers, ranchers, and livestock producers take pride in making high quality products available to consumers, who can then make an educated purchasing decision at the grocery store,” said NFU President Roger Johnson in the comments. “Consumers continue to demand more information about their food. This is why it is critical that strong regulatory changes to the COOL regulation be made to promote U.S. products to our nation’s consumers.”

NFU supports the proposed rule’s requirement that each specific production step be labeled with the country in which it takes place. This will provide more information than the current method of labeling multiple countries of origin without specifying which step occurs in which country. NFU also supports the elimination of comingling allowances for muscle cuts, which will reduce confusion for consumers.

“More specific and accurate labels, together with tightening up current comingling requirements will directly respond to the problem the WTO found with the current COOL rules,” said Johnson.

The comments suggested additional ways to strengthen COOL rules. By broadening the definition of “processing” and “processed foods,” COOL standards could be applied to more products, and more regulatory adjustments could be made to encourage a standard method of COOL for food service establishments.

“NFU is very pleased by this proposed rule, as it will ensure that COOL can continue to be an important policy for all American farmers, ranchers and consumers,” said Johnson. “We appreciate the work of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in identifying a means of not only fulfilling the obligations set forth by the WTO but also strengthening the information available to consumers through COOL.”

NFU encourages farmers, ranchers, and consumers to comment on the proposed rule by visiting www.regulations.gov and searching for “Country-of-Origin Labeling. Individuals can also support the rule by signing our petition at http://bit.ly/14gAMPa. The comment period closes on April 11.

 

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: COOL

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • YouTube

Latest News from the Ohio & National Farmers Union

OFU Rallies for Rural Schools

Fair School Funding Plan Integral for Rural Public Schools COLUMBUS – The League of Women Voters of Ohio and Ohio Farmers Union held a Statehouse … Read More

Public Schools Build Connections in Rural Communities. Vouchers Tear Them Down.

by Melissa Cropper, president, Ohio Federation of Teachers This op-ed was orignally published on Barn Raiser: Rural communities depend on … Read More

National Farmers Union Week of Action for Strong Farm Bill

National Farmers Union (NFU) today concluded the Week of Action that gathered more than 100 farmers from across the country to the halls of Congress … Read More

How Do Tariffs Affect Family Farms?

A Talk in Kent, Ohio with Ohio Farmers Union and Others Have you noticed the price of eggs? Who hasn’t! How do government actions and tariffs … Read More

Check Out the Entire Blog

NATIONAL FARMERS UNION

Click to Take Action



Contact

Ohio Farmers Union
P.O. Box 363
1011 N. Defiance Street
Ottawa, Ohio 45875
Phone: (419) 523-5300
Toll Free: (800) 321-3671

Copyright Ohio Farmers Union© 2025 | Site by: RCS Communications