Un-COOL. The Congressional Attack on Consumer Rights

May 22, 2015 – By #South Dakota Farmer UnionDo you have the right to know where the food you eat comes from? It is a simple question. So why are there so many complicated answers?

I asked myself these questions on my flight back home from Washington D.C. Over the past week, a select group of SDFU members and staff traveled to D.C. to join forces with National Farmers Union (NFU) and a number of other Farmers Union states in order to lobby for Country of Origin Labeling (COOL). The timing could not have been more appropriate as the World Trade Organization (WTO) issued its final ruling on the popular labeling law on Monday.

Ultimately the WTO ruled against the implementation of the law which stirred up a hornets’ nest of unruly Congressmen in the House of Representatives. Among those included Representative Mike Conaway, Chairman of the House Agricultural Committee. Throughout the WTO hearing process Conaway has been using his position as chairman to spread a number of oversimplified misnomers about COOL that have seemingly swayed his fellow members in the committee.

This is evident as a full COOL repeal on beef, poultry, and pork was passed by a vote of 38-6 on Wednesday. Throughout our meetings on Captiol Hill, we shared our position on the importance of the labeling law.

What I find interesting is the conflicting ideologies at play in this debate. From the anti-COOL camp we hear about the impact on businesses. They argue that there are exceptional costs on businesses, that businesses will be hurt by retaliation, and that over 100 businesses, including INTERNATIONAL businesses, have voiced their opposition on COOL. The message of Farmers Union, and those in support of COOL, focuses on consumer rights and rancher pride. We argue that it is the consumer’s right to know where their food comes from.

Moreover, ranchersare proud to tell the consumer that the products they’re consuming are American products. Surveys by numerous organizations have repeatedly shown that consumers support COOL, with some counts as high as 95%! Over 200 consumer, farm, ranch, rural and community groups have signed on to a letter supporting COOL.

See the difference?

We believe AMERICAN CITIZENS, not the business sector, have the right to dictate AMERICAN POLICY. We believe AMERICAN CITIZENS have the right to know where the food they eat comes from. That’s why we have labeling laws on fruits, vegetables, and nuts. We even have labeling laws for the shirts on our backs.

Why shouldn’t the meat we eat be held to the same standard? Especially considering that more than 60 other countries and the European Union have adopted similar, and in some cases more strict, labeling laws. American products are being labeled in countries around the world, but will no longer be labeled here at home. Think about that. 

A Congressional intervention in the form of COOL repeal, before the WTO process fully unfolds, would be unprecedented. 

Passing such legislation would severely diminish consumer confidence as the President’s Administration negotiates a trade agreement in the Pacific arena. How can American consumers believe their rights will be protected when Congress prematurely erodes the rights of American consumers to appease trading partners in search of the almighty dollar?

The short answer is, they can’t and they won’t. Abraham Lincoln said it best 152 years ago. In order to endure, we must be “a government of the PEOPLE, by the PEOPLE, and for the PEOPLE” no more, no less.

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Last Modified: 05/22/2015 9:33:22 pm MDT