Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Craig Thomas and Mike Enzi, both R-Wyo., said Country-of-Origin food labeling (COOL) is a high priority for producers and consumers and they are pleased with the Senate's determination to get the law implemented properly.
The Senate voted in favor of funding COOL and many Wyoming projects in the Agriculture Appropriations bill today.
Thomas, Enzi and Senate colleagues were successful in offering an amendment to the Agriculture Appropriations bill that directs Senate conference committee members to maintain funding for the implementation of the COOL law. The vote on the amendment was 58-36. The House voted in July to retain a provision in its version of the bill that would prohibit the use of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funds for the implementation of the law for meat and meat products.
"The Senate's action has to do with ensuring the quality of food for consumers; it has to do with trade; it has to do with fairness to Wyoming producers for marketing their products and the economic benefits created for the agriculture industry," Thomas said. "I was on the Agriculture Committee and was a co-sponsor of this amendment to the Farm Bill in 2002. The folks back in Wyoming would like to have an opportunity to know where the things they buy come from and this allows consumers to know where they are getting their meat products. We have labels on our T-shirts and almost everything else we buy; there is no reason why we shouldn't have it on our meat."
"The move to strip funding in the House bill was not a noble gesture to protect producers by giving more time and thought to implementation, it was an attempt to gut and rescind country of origin labeling," said Enzi. "Removing funding for implementation would not improve the process, it would stop the process cold. For those with genuine concerns about the implementation of country of origin labeling, the answer is not to put off implementing the law, but to implement it properly. I am pleased the Senate recognizes this."
Thomas and Enzi said the amendment sends a strong message to the House that the Senate does not accept its position on COOL.
The COOL law requires the USDA to put in place a system for U.S. retailers to inform their customers when buying beef, lamb, pork or other perishable agricultural commodities about what country the product originated from.
Sens. Tom Daschle and Tim Johnson, both D-S.D., also cosponsored the amendment.
AG APPROPRIATIONS
The Senate passed its version of the Agriculture Appropriations bill, S. 2673, by a vote of 93-1 today. The bill would provide about $79.7 billion in funding for agriculture, rural development, and nutrition programs in fiscal year 2004.
The bill provides funding for several Wyoming projects including:
• $1.3 million for predator control funding for Wyoming, Montana and Idaho
• $500,000 for the Ruminant Nutrition Consortium in Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota
• $300,000 for a soil survey mapping project in Wyoming
• $292,000 for wool research in Wyoming, Texas and Montana
• $248,000 for wildlife/livestock disease research
It also continues funding for brucellosis eradication in Wyoming.
Additionally, the legislation includes about $3.25 billion for agricultural credit programs for farmers; about $2.2 billion for agricultural research, education, and extension activities; and about $973.2 million for various USDA conservation programs, among other things.
The House passed its version of the bill in July by a vote of 347-64. A Senate-House conference committee will next meet to work out the differences between the two bills.
