COOL Hearing Begins, Judge to Issue Decision Within 14 Days

Aug 27, 2013

COOL Hearing Begins, Judge to Issue Decision Within 14 Days

Country-of-Origin Labeling Rule Challenged in Court

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

Nine representatives from North American meat processing and cattlemen groups were in Washington, D.C. court Tuesday, regarding the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s mandatory country of origin labelling rules (COOL). The oral hearing entertained the organizations filing of an injunction to stop USDA from enforcing its COOL rules.

COOL labeling was first introduced in the 2002 and 2008 Farm Bills. At the time, the labeling rules were highly contentious among domestic and foreign meatpackers. After a complaint filed by Canada and Mexico claiming that the rules breach trade agreements, the World Trade Organization ordered the United States to comply.

The USDA instead introduced a final rule, which the groups allege violates their rights of freedom of speech and that the labels provide no added benefit to consumers. The final rule requires meat to include information on where the animal was born, raised and slaughtered, and prohibits “commingling”.

A D.C. judge said she would issue a decision on a preliminary injunction within the next 14 days.

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.