COOL

COOL Update – NFU Adjusting Its Stance to Preserve a Semblance of Program

July 30, 2015 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-IA, told an Iowa TV station last night that essentially there are two competing bills in the Senate regarding COOL, the Roberts full repeal and a bill that would replace the current mandatory COOL program with a voluntary program.

That brings us to today and a practical policy shift from the Ohio and National Farmers Union. I use the word shift, because ultimately what Farmers Union stands for is mandatory COOL. Picking the best of two bad options, Farmers Union is backing a bipartisan compromise bill being advanced by two key U.S. Senators and backed by our own Sen. Sherrod Brown.

Called the Voluntary Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) Act of 2015, the bill would allow the U.S. to avoid retaliatory tariffs by repealing the mandatory COOL law and replacing it with a voluntary program that will enable processors to voluntarily label meat products. The new COOL law would maintain the integrity of the label, ensuring that the product is actually “born, raised and slaughtered in the United States,” rather than just processed in the U.S. The bill is also known as the Stabenow-Hoeven bill for its sponsors, Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-MI and Sen. John Hoeven, R-ND.

We are asking that our members adjust their own advocacy for COOL to reflect Farmers Union support for the Staebenow-Hoeven bill. We understand that this represents a change none of us is happy about, but we are even less happy about the prospect of losing COOL entirely. Remember, we’ve already lost in the House.

[Read more…]

New Study: U.S. Consumers Prefer Meat Labeled From U.S.

July 16, 2015 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson lauded today’s release of a University of Arkansas study that found U.S. consumers prefer meat from the U.S. when provided with a country-of-origin label, and urged Congress to respect consumers’ right to know where their food comes from by rejecting efforts to repeal Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL).

“Opponents of COOL have argued that it has no impact on consumers’ purchasing decisions,” said Johnson. “This study clearly shows the opposite: that consumers use COOL to draw inferences related to a food product’s safety, taste and freshness. NFU urges Congress to reject efforts to repeal the popular labeling law and instead focus on finding a solution to the recent World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute that maintains the integrity of COOL and continues to provide consumers with information they use to make informed decisions about what they eat.”

The study, authored by University of Arkansas marketing researchers, found that COOL provides consumers with additional information that has both direct and indirect effects on purchasing decisions.

“The (COOL) requirement impacts inferred attributes, such that meat products from the U.S are perceived to be safer, tastier, and fresher than meat products from Mexico,” notes the study. “These attribute inferences, in turn, have differentially positive effects on purchase intentions.”

Johnson noted that the U.S. Senate will soon weigh its options for meeting WTO obligations, and urged senators to ensure consumers maintain the ability to distinguish where their food comes from through a national country-of-origin labeling standard.

“As the Senate searches for a path forward for COOL, we urge them to consider this new study that clearly shows U.S. consumers care where their food comes from and that they use COOL to determine where it comes from,” he said.

Some Positive on COOL in U.S. Senate

July 15, 2015 By Ron Sylvester 1 Comment

The following statement was issued by National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson expressing gratitude for Senate Agriculture Committee leaders’ determination to working towards a resolution for difficulties facing Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL).

“We are grateful that key leaders on the Senate Agriculture Committee are fighting to find a path forward for America’s popular food labeling law, COOL. Food labeling is not only strongly supported by consumers but family farmers as well.

“Of course, groups that have opposed COOL from the very beginning are using red herring arguments and scare tactics to encourage our elected officials to throw in the towel, given objections by our chief trade competitors Canada and Mexico.

“The talk of retaliation by those countries is not only grossly premature, but scaremongering at its finest. In order for Canada or Mexico to retaliate against the U.S. should we wish to continue to exercise our sovereign right to label our food, they must first prove that our labeling law has harmed them economically.

“It should be noted that Canada already has a voluntary food labeling law on the books, so it begs the question as to why they are so strongly against Americans having a similar law.

“NFU will continue to advocate for this popular law and defend the American consumers’ right to know the origin of their food.”

OFU Urges Senate to “Chill” on COOL

June 12, 2015 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

Americans Want to Know Where Their Food Comes From

COLUMBUS – Ohio’s second largest general farm organization leveled a broadside at members of Congress who voted this past week to repeal Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) requirements for beef, pork and poultry in the United States.

“In an era where food travels around the world indiscriminately, is there a mother in this country, when asked, who would say they don’t care to know where their food comes from?” asked Joe Logan, president of the Ohio Farmers Union.

“Does the chicken they’re putting on the grill tonight come from U.S. producers – with all of their health and safety regs – or does it come from China where health, safety and environmental regulations are an after-thought?”

Logan said OFU and the National Farmers Union have backed COOL since before it was enacted in the 2002 Farm Bill. He said that globalization and the opening of markets made it a necessity for U.S. consumers to know where their food comes from because many other countries don’t have the food safety regulations protecting U.S. consumers.

Logan said that much of U.S. meat production and processing have come under the control of foreign corporations, and American consumers need to be vigilant. The current largest pork processor in the U.S. is Chinese-owned and the second-largest beef processor in the U.S. is Brazilian company JBS.

Late Thursday night, Congressional supporters of these huge, multi-national corporations used a recent World Trade Organization ruling as an excuse to push a repeal of COOL through the GOP-controlled House of Representatives.

“The WTO process is not over regarding COOL,” said Logan. “The U.S. has ample time and the administration has signaled it would continue to work with Canada and Mexico on fair and honest labeling requirements in this country.”

“Basically, corporate interests and big money won out this week in Washington – consumers and independent family farmers lost big time,” Logan said.

Logan hopes that the U.S. Senate ignores the House bill.

Logan said that the vote to repeal COOL is important enough for every Ohioan to know where their member of Congress stands when it comes to knowing where their food comes from.

Unless your member of Congress was Joyce Beatty, Marcy Kaptur or Tim Ryan, if you live in Ohio your member voted to take away your right to know where your food comes from.

“In a global economy, information about the foods we eat is essential,” Logan said. “It’s unfathomable how a representative of the people could vote against that.”

Editor’s Note:

Here are a couple of noteworthy links on the background of this issue:

The most recent consumer poll results are available here: http://www.consumerfed.org/pdfs/COOL-poll-results-May-2013.pdf
The Robert Taylor study can be found here: http://www.nfu.org/images/COOLReport1132015Final.pdf

You’ll find in the poll that Americans, when asked, overwhelmingly favor knowing where their meat comes from. You’ll see in the Prof. Robert Taylor study that Canada cannot demonstrate material damage to their own markets as a result of COOL.

ACTION ALERT: Congress Voting to Repeal COOL Next Week

June 4, 2015 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

There will be a vote in the House next on the COOL Repeal bill. We are asking members of Congress to speak out against COOL. Please call your member of Congress today and tell them Americans have the right to know where their food comes from and you would like them to speak AGAINST repeal on the House floor next week. Here’s the Action Alert from the National Farmers Union:

Next week is going to be a very tough week for popular labeling law Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL). NFU expects the bill to repeal major parts of the law to be on the House floor between Tuesday and Thursday!

Please call your House member and ask him/her to speak against the COOL repeal bill when the debate is on the floor. Please let each office know that NFU will be scoring this vote and we will be watching to see who speaks against the bill. Thank them for their help; a vote against the repeal bill is a vote for family farmers, ranchers and consumers.

The more speakers we have the less votes will go towards repealing COOL. Please make the call to your representative today! The Capitol switchboard is 202-224-3121.

Here’s a COOL Fact Sheet

Logan: Why We Fight for Country of Origin Labeling

May 27, 2015 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

by Joe Logan, President OFU

OFU President Joe Logan addressing the organization in January 2015.

Sometimes it seems like a colossal waste of time and energy but organizations like ours are compelled to rise and speak out when destructive things are happening. Such was the case last week as an extraordinary series of events took place in Washington D.C.

On May 18, a dispute resolution panel from the World Trade Organization (WTO) announced its decision that an existing U.S. law requiring food companies to apply Country Of Origin Labeling (COOL) to many meat products presents a hardship to other nations who wish to sell their products to American customers. The dispute was initiated by Canada and Mexico, who together export about 7% of the beef and 5% of the pork consumed by Americans. Oddly, the dispute panel was chaired by a representative of Mexico.

As a result of their decision, Canada and Mexico will be given the chance to prove/document the economic harm they have suffered. Pending sufficient proof, they will be entitled to impose an equal value of penalties onto the offending country (the U.S.) in the form of tariffs of any American products of their choosing.

The WTO settles many such disputes each year and the process is often a multi-year affair, which includes numerous delays and much negotiation among the parties before a final resolution. This case, however, is taking a radically different course. The nations claiming to be harmed (Mexico and Canada) are supported by some organizations who are authorized by the U.S. government. As ridiculous as it might seem, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) – two organizations authorized by the U.S. Congress — are siding with our trading partners and against the United States in this case.

L-R: Joe Logan, Edward Edney, office of U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, Roger Wise, OFU Treasurer. Logan and Wise were in Washington lobbying Congress on COOL in late May 2015.

The rationale for this strange occurrence is simple but frightening in its implications. Our livestock producing, processing and marketing systems have been changing in profound ways. Our pork, poultry and beef industries have become highly integrated and globalized. They are now dominated by a handful of very large, global corporations. Gone are the days when independent farmers raised hogs and chickens and offered them for sale in local or regional markets. Although many independent cattlemen still raise calves, the feedlots where most cattle reach market weight are dominated by large corporate beef processors.

In such a global, integrated system, both processors and importers have taken seats on the boards of the organizations (like NCBA and NPPC) that were once held by independent farmers and ranchers. Now, those organizations serve the interests of their global corporate giants who own and control the lion’s share of the livestock, processing plants and distribution chains. If today’s globalized, integrated system had been this firmly in place in 2002, we would never have been able to get COOL enacted, despite that it is very strongly supported by both consumers and independent farmers.

The National Farmers Union fought vigorously for the better part of two decades to get COOL passed by Congress and enacted by USDA. We have been extremely proud to have championed a policy that was so robustly supported by consumers and that gave those remaining independent farmers and ranchers a chance to redeem the benefits of their extraordinary efforts to produce safe, high quality food products for American Consumers.

The changing structure of the livestock and food industry, along with the changing character of our more partisan congress, have created a seismic shift in the political landscape for issues like COOL. Members of Congress can now ignore the enormous popularity of issues like COOL (90% approval) and instead bow to the interests of corporate lobbyists who can provide resources needed to overwhelm any political foe.

In this political environment, it is not surprising that the opponents of COOL – the global food processing companies have mustered the resources to influence key members of congress to take extraordinary actions like the one that occurred on May 19: The House Ag Committee Chairman introduced a bill to repeal the COOL. Not only did Chairman Conaway introduce the bill, but he conducted an expedited “mark up” and committee vote to approve his bill the following day.

Despite our feverish efforts to inform many thoughtful members, the bill easily passed out of committee and will be scheduled for a vote on the floor of the House in June. After several days of work talking to hundreds of members of the House and Senate, we believe we have headed the stampede. We feel confident that the WTO process will have a chance to play out before Congress takes repeals the law.
We are also confident that Canada, Mexico and the global meat processors will be hard pressed to demonstrate any legitimate harm from our COOL law. If so, our hard-fought and highly popular policy may survive and serve the interests of consumers and for years to come.

If you haven’t already, please call your member of Congress and ask your friends and family – farmer and consumer alike – to do the same. Tell your representative that Americans deserve to know where their food comes and that America’s – and Ohio’s – family farmers deserve their right to proudly proclaim their bounty is a product of the U.S.A.

Logan, Wise Lobby in D.C. to Preserve COOL

May 19, 2015 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

Joe Logan and Roger Wise are no strangers to the ongoing struggle in Washington, D.C. and Geneva, Switzerland over whether U.S. consumers have a right to know where their food comes from.

The pair are Ohio farmers but they are also the current president of the Ohio Farmers Union (Logan) and the immediate past-president (Wise). Since 2009, Country of Origin Labeling – “COOL” in agricultural circles – has been a recurring policy consideration for each.

COOL is a rule in the 2002 U.S. Farm Bill that mandates retailers provide country of origin labeling for beef, pork and lamb. In 2008, Congress expanded the labeling law to include some other products such as fresh fruits and nuts.

In 2009, the first challenge to COOL came from the Canadian government via the World Trade Organization. While Canada – and subsequently Mexico – have claimed that U.S. COOL rules have cost foreign producers, there is scant economic evidence to support their claims.

There has been, however, a sea change in ownership of U.S. meat interests. The primary owner of U.S. pork interests is now Shuanghui of China. JBS of Brazil is now the largest meat processing company in the United States. Both China and Brazil have issues regarding food safety.

“Yesterday’s WTO decision is an insult to all who wish to have information about the food they consume and an affront to our nation’s ability to adopt legislation that is strongly supported by US Farmers and consumers,” said Logan

“Once again, the Farmers Union will be leading the charge to defend COOL on behalf of farmers and consumers,” Logan said.

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson is asking lawmakers to allow U.S. trade representatives to work things out with Mexico and Canada.

Johnson pointed out that there have been various press reports in recent weeks indicating that the administration will work with Canada and Mexico on COOL.

“We support that approach to the extent it results in a mutually agreed result that provides consumers meaningful information on the meat products they purchase, including the country where the animal was born, raised and slaughtered. With the significant interest by consumers in knowing where their food comes from, any other result is not acceptable,” Johnson said.

Logan, of Trumbull County, and Wise, of Sandusky County, have a full slate of meetings on Capitol Hill with members of Congress over the next two days. They are part of an NFU group of more than 60 Farmers Union leaders from around the country.

“Our primary message to Congress at this point is leave COOL alone,” said Wise.

“There is precedent for U.S. and international officials to work out their differences rather than scrap a U.S. law and start completely over,” he added.

Johnson Makes Case for COOL

May 5, 2015 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson argued recently in Agri-Pulse that regardless of the upcoming announcement from the World Trade Organization (WTO) on America’s popular labeling law – Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL) – Congress needs to let the WTO process run its course.

“The announcement from the WTO on this lawsuit is due in just weeks, and we may win. If not, it can still be brought to arbitration. And that’s why it’s important that Congress refrain from making any changes to the popular labeling law until this process has run its course,” notes Johnson in Agri-Pulse. “To do otherwise would not only be unprecedented in U.S. history, but would also be a disservice to consumers who support COOL by a margin of 90 percent, according to decade’s worth of polling.”

Johnson notes that the food labeling movement is no longer confined to the U.S., but now includes the European Union as well. “A few years ago European politicians got an earful when their constituents learned that they were walking around with a stomachful ¾ of horsemeat. Meat from horses labeled as beef was being imported into the European Union (EU), and since strict labeling laws were not in place in one of the world’s most lucrative markets, consumers were tricked into eating something very different than they thought,” he notes.

Johnson notes the next step in the arbitration process, should the WTO rule against America’s consumers and producers in May, is that Canada and Mexico can retaliate against U.S. But the level of retaliation can be subject to arbitration, if requested by the U.S. The level of arbitration is limited to the adverse effects on Canadian and Mexican exports to the U.S.

“Proving COOL has caused economic harm is going to be no small feat for Canada, given the recent study out of Auburn University that found it was the economic collapse of 2008 – not COOL – that caused a dip in Canadian exports to the U.S.,” he notes.

[Read more…]

May 6: Call President Obama – Ask Him to Stand Up For COOL

May 5, 2015 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

Ohio Farmers Union Members:

National Farmers Union, in partnership with a coalition of other groups, has organized a White House call in day. We’d like to flood the White House with as many calls as possible. Please call President Obama at 888-793-4597 tomorrow, Wednesday, May 6. Please send this along to all members/contacts/friends/family.

Call the White House at 888-793-4597
When you are connected, tell the person who answers:

Hi, my name is _______ and I’m from ______. I urge President Obama to stand up for my right to know where my food comes from by protecting country of origin labels.

That’s it! The whole process should take no more than 60 seconds. The White House tracks every call they get on an issue, so volume of calls matters.

Thanks for your help and continuing concern for public policies that benefit Ohio’s family farmers and consumers.

Canadians ‘Last Act of Desperation’ on COOL

February 11, 2015 By Ron Sylvester Leave a Comment

WASHINGTON – National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson praised today’s dismissal of the U.S. District Court lawsuit on Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL), filed by the multinational meatpacking industry and their allies to try and stop the USDA from implementing the very popular labeling law.

“This is a clear and indisputable win for American consumers and producers, and it’s a huge relief to know that common-sense labeling laws, like COOL, can prevail in court despite the deep pockets of the multinationals,” said Johnson.

The papers ending the long and costly lawsuit were filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, ending American Meat Institute (AMI) et al. v. U.S. Department of Agriculture et al., originally filed in July, 2013.

Last week a Canadian delegation comprised of the Canadian Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Gerry Ritz and members of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, the Canadian Pork Council and the Canadian Meat Council made a lobbying trip to Capital Hill on the heels of the release of a new study conducted by Auburn University Professor Robert Taylor showing that allegations that COOL depressed prices of Canadian cattle were false.

Johnson called the trip “their last act of desperation,” and pointed out that the Auburn University not only demonstrated that that fed cattle price basis actually declined after COOL went into effect, but also that COOL had no negative impact on imports of slaughter cattle and did not significantly affect imports of those of feeder cattle.”

Johnson urged members of Congress to stand by the popular labeling law – supported by roughly 90 percent of consumers – and urged the Canadians to allow the World Trade Organization to consider the new study and the total body of information and arrive at a decision on its own.

“If the U.S. Courts are any indication of the trajectory of success of COOL, then American consumers are finally going to be permitted to know where their food comes from without intervention from our chief trade competitors and their multinational allies,” he said.

Americans Want to Know Where Their Food Comes From

NATIONAL FARMERS UNION

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