American Meat Institute calls newest COOL rule ‘reckless’

May 23, 2013

American Meat Institute calls newest COOL rule ‘reckless’

The American Meat Institute (AM) is speaking out strongly against the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s final rule on its controversial country-of-origin labeling (COOL) rule. The institute says that no changes were made to the proposal despite industry opposition over additional costs that would be insured by companies and hurting trade ties with Canada and Mexico.

The Senior Vice President of AMI Mark Dopp, said that the new rule could harm American agriculture, noting that during the consultation progress, U.S. meat companies and livestock producers expressed their concerns over the proposal. “The decision to proceed with a rule that is more costly, complex and burdensome than the earlier version, when WTO and our trading partners have sent strong signals that this is no ‘fix,’ shows a reckless disregard for trade relations and for companies whose very survival is at risk because they rely upon imported livestock,” said Dopp.

Perhaps the most worrisome comment that Dopp mentioned is how the rule will likely prompt several meat companies to shut down due to the additional costs. The ramped up COOL regulations would not only impact the domestic meat industry says Dopp, but operations north and south of the boarders would be even more worse off. The institute says this move signals that the government is picking winners and losers.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.