USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service announced that it is extending the comment period on its Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL) regulation for two months, until February 27, 2004.  The proposal requires such labeling on various products, including meat.  The law, passed as part of the 2002 Farm Bill and the regulation, require retailers to list the country-of-origin of beef, ground beef, pork, ground pork, lamb, ground lamb, and other products.  AAMP has sent information to our members asking them to contact their members of Congress, and exrpess their opposition to Country-of-Origin Labeling. 

It is very important for you to get in touch with your two U.S. Senators as soon as possible, because under this law, meat processors will have to gather and supply information to retailers about the country-of-origin of the animals they are processing and preparing  for eventual retail sale.  The House voted to delay implementing the COOL law for two years, but the Senate will not take action on this until it returns later in January.  We ask AAMP members and members of affiliated state and regional meat processing associations to get in touch with their two U.S. Senators during January and request they join the House in delaying COOL.

At AAMP, we also have a "sample letter" available that you can use as a "model" for writing your members of Congress, which we sent to all our members.  If you didn't receive such a letter, give AAMP a call at 717-367-1168.  In order to get in touch with your members of Congress, go to www.congress.org and enter your zip code.  Your two U.S. Senators and U.S. Representative will be posted, with easy ways to contact them, including e-mail, phone and regular mail.

AAMP will also be commenting on the AMS COOL regulation.  We will make our comments available to members of AAMP and affiliated meat processing associations, so you can also let the Agricultural Marketing Service know how negatively the proposed rule will affect your business.

The Small Business Administration has also filed comments with AMS against the labeling program, arguing that it would especially hurt small businesses, including small and very small meat processors and retailers.  Some of the SBA arguments came from a position paper AAMP presented at an SBA Office of Advocacy Roundtable meeting in Washington, DC.