The Rural Lobbyist: Country of Origin Labeling to make its return to the legislature.

January 27, 2017 – By #South Dakota Farmer Union

 Country of Origin Labeling will be the topic of discussion the Senate State Affairs committee when they take up SB 135. This legislation is similar to the legislation proposed last session that was narrowly defeated in the House Ag and Natural Resources Committee. In SB 135, retailers of all beef and ground beef will be required to label said products by their country or countries of origin if they have access to that information. If that information is unavailable or cannot be determined the retailer would be required to use a label indicating “country of origin unknown.” If you are concerned that SB 135 conflicts with the decision made by the World Trade Organization, don’t be. SB 135 does not place any undue burden in segregating the beef cattle during processing. The burden, if you can call it that, is placed solely on the retailer. SDFU has long been a supporter of Country of Origin Labeling and for good reason. Consumers consistently demand more information about where their food comes from. In fact, studies show that 80-90% of consumers support country of origin labeling. If you want to voice your support for COOL, contact your state legislators and urge them to support SB 135.

Last Modified: 01/27/2017 8:13:47 pm MST