NEWS RELEASE – DRC Disappointed in US Senate Proposed Compromise on COOL 7.27.15
DRC Disappointed ND U.S. Senators Undermine Transparency in Where Food Comes From
Bismarck, ND – Dakota Resource Council (DRC) members from across the state are disappointed North Dakota U.S. Senators Heitkamp and Hoeven are sponsoring legislation to make Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) a voluntary program. The Senators joined Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) introducing legislation in the Senate Agriculture Committee today that would repeal COOL for beef, pork, chicken, and ground meat and then convert mandatory COOL for beef, pork and chicken into a voluntary program.
DRC Chair Linda Weiss (Belfield), said, “Consumers want to know more about the food they are feeding their families and farmers want to share that information. The overwhelming majority of consumers and farmers support the current mandatory COOL labeling law, with more than nine out of ten Americans supporting COOL.”
DRC members oppose any legislation that would undermine any portion of the COOL law, whether by outright COOL repeal or by converting the mandatory COOL law to a voluntary program. We urge North Dakotans to urge our state’s U.S. Senators to drop the voluntary COOL bill.
Linda Weiss added, “Congress ought to stand up for America’s consumers, farmers and ranchers by rejecting any effort to unilaterally repeal or weaken a popular food label even before the WTO process has concluded.”