In what appears to be a step backwards the U.S. House of Representatives has failed to fund Country of Origin Labeling (COOL), causing Oklahoma Farm Bureau leaders to voice concern this could delay implementing the program.
"It will be difficult to implement COOL by September 2004 (as required by law) without adequate funding," said Steve Kouplen, Oklahoma Farm Bureau president.
The Beggs rancher has just returned from Washington, D.C. where he lobbied extensively for the COOL program. Farm Bureau supports COOL because it gives consumers a choice between domestic and foreign produced beef, Kouplen said.
"It appeared they (Congress) were not opposed to COOL as much as they were opposed to implementing the program according to the schedule spelled out in the 2002 farm bill," Kouplen said. "They (U.S. House) support the concept of COOL, but not the timing," Kouplen said.
In defeating the funding legislation, House leaders voiced concern that rules for implementing COOL cannot be written soon enough to give producers adequate time to prepare for the program.
However, across the hall Senate leaders assured producers they would quickly restore funding.
Kouplen considers COOL both a marketing issue and a food safety issue.
"We want consumers to know when they go to the meat counter they are buying a safe, healthy food product born, raised and processed in this country," Kouplen said.
