U.S. Government Lawyers Challenge Request to Halt COOL Implementation
By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com
Government lawyers asked a U.S. District Court Friday, to refuse an emergency order filed by the American Meat Institute (AMI) to prevent the implementation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) rule.
A U.S. District Court judge, will hear arguments on the motion filed by the American Meat Institute and its allies – Aug. 27, to determine if their request will be granted. Meanwhile, U.S. Department of Justice attorneys argue that AMI’s request fails to demonstrate why they are entitled to an emergency order to halt the implementation of COOL.
The filed briefing reads that USDA’s COOL rule “was promulgated to provide consumers with accurate information about the origin of certain meat products that they purchase and to comply with a ruling by the World Trade Organization that the United States had acted inconsistently with its international trade obligations.”
AMI along with seven other meat industry groups make the case that the rule violates the Agricultural Marketing Act and the Administrative Procedure Act and provides false information to consumers, while being a determent to the livestock and meat industry.
The USDA revised its COOL rule in May, requiring labeling to include where the animals were born, raised and slaughtered - “Born in Canada, raised and slaughtered in the United States” as an example. In addition to the increased labeling requirements, the revised rule prohibits meat processors from ‘comingling’ or mixing meat raised or slaughtered in Mexico or Canada.