This week it’s beef farmers. Recently it was pork producers.
Nearly three dozen groups associated with beef production, ranching and the environment signed on to a letter sent to United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai, asking for her support to restore mandatory country of origin labeling (MCOOL) for beef.
Producer organizations, including Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA) have persistently lobbied to keep MCOOL issues part of the national legislative conversation.
The World Trade Organization ruled in 2014 that such meat labeling law violates U.S. international trade obligations by discriminating against Canadian cattle and pigs and Mexican cattle.
But before that decision came down, Canadians lost hundreds of millions of dollars to depressed prices for cattle and hogs and had to pay lawyers and consultants millions of dollars to achieve justice.
