COOL Lawsuit Dropped

February 12, 2015 – By #South Dakota Farmer Union

South Dakota Farmers Union, Cattle Producers & Consumers Praise U.S. Dist. Court Decision to Dismiss COOL Lawsuit South Dakota Farmers Union President, Doug Sombke, praised the Feb. 9, 2015 dismissal of the U.S. District Court lawsuit on Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL), filed by the multinational meatpacking industry and their allies in an attempt to stop the USDA from implementing the very popular labeling law.

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.

“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 Natl. Farmers Union President, Roger Johnson.

The dismissal comes on the heels of the Jan. 22, 2015, release of a new study conducted by Auburn University Professor, Robert Taylor, which showed that allegations that COOL depressed prices of Canadian cattle were false. The study not only demonstrated 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 feeder cattle.

“The findings of this study are an exciting discovery for U.S. cattle producers who are proud of the meat we produce, as well as for the consumers who want to know where their food comes from,” Sombke said. Sombke explained that this study is completely transparent, unlike the one it debunks. “This study was conducted using mandatory pricing data made public by the packers, whereas the study it contradicts used information that is not available to the public. This raised a lot of suspicion,” Sombke said.

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 Capitol Hill. Johnson called the trip “their last act of desperation.” 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,” Johnson said. 

Call to action National Farmers Union encourages consumers and cattle producers alike to reach out to Congress and urge them to not be influenced by foreign governments and foreign competitors and leave COOL alone. A link to the Auburn University study can be found at www.nfu.org. The main number to the Hill switch board is 202-224-3121.  

---

Last Modified: 02/12/2015 4:33:30 pm MST