Meat, Livestock Groups File for COOL Injunction

Jul 26, 2013

Meat, Livestock Groups File for COOL Injunction

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

Nine meat and livestock groups have filed to request a preliminary injunction to avert implementation of a mandatory country-of-origin labelling (COOL) rule.

Plaintiffs argue that COOL prevents the industry from “commingling” meat from animals of different countries – something which has been a long standing practice. “The Final Rule violates the Constitution, exceeds the agency’s authority under the Agricultural Marketing Act, and runs afoul of the Administrative Procedure Act. The Final Rule violates the First Amendment because it compels commercial speech merely in service of satisfying the curiosity of “certain” consumers about all of the production steps involved in bringing meat to market,” the filing said.

The groups believe they have a strong case, but assert that implementation of COOL will “irreparably harm meat-industry participants.” Canada and Mexico had brought a complaint to the World Trade Organization (WTO) against the United States’ country-of-origin labeling requirements violating WTO commitments. The WTO gave the U.S. a timeframe to make changes to comply with trade obligations, but instead enhanced COOL requirements, making it even more discriminatory.

Plaintiffs include - American Association of Meat Processors, American Meat Institute, Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, Canadian Pork Council, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Pork Producers Council, North American Meat Association, Southwest Meat Association and the National Confederation of Livestock Organizations.

The filing can be read by clicking here.

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.