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IATP calls for MCOOL reinstatement

The director of climate change and rural strategies with the Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy says the organization supports efforts to reinstate mandatory country of origin labeling (MCOOL) in the beef industry.

During a recent webinar, Ben Lilliston says recent moves to ramp up imports make the legislation critical for consumers.

“This is something the beef industry does not want.”  He says, “Right now, if you go to the grocery store and the beef isn’t labeled, it could be from Brazil, Argentina, Australia, any number of countries, you just don’t know.”

MCOOL was repealed by Congress in 2015 following trade disputes with both Mexico and Canada, and Lilliston says meat packers claim reinstating it would drive retail beef prices even higher.  However, he says lawmakers are once again considering it in the Senate’s version of the farm bill.

“It’s going to require Congress to reinstate mandatory country of origin labeling.”  He says, “There is voluntary labeling guidelines right now, but voluntary only gets you so far. We need to make it a requirement. Many countries around the world do have that kind of requirement.”

Lilliston says mandatory country of origin labeling is drawing bi-partisan support, so it could move as a separate piece of legislation should the farm bill fail to advance.