June 23, 2003

For Immediate Release

Contact: Niel Ritchie, 612-870-3405, nritchie@iatp.org

Mike Skladany, 612-870-3402, mskladany@iatp.org

Minneapolis - The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy will strongly support Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) in testimony before the U.S. Department of Agriculture at a hearing held in St. Paul tomorrow afternoon.

The USDA is holding hearings on COOL around the country to get feedback on how this new system, mandated in the 2002 Farm Bill, will be implemented. COOL requires retail labeling of meat, fish and produce in grocery stores by its country of origin by September 2004.

The COOL program has come under heavy attack by industries, which rely on imports. On June 17, with the support of the meatpacking industry, the House Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittee voted to stop all funding for the implementation of COOL for meat. IATP has joined with cattlemen and ranchers to prevent the gutting of COOL implementation funds.

"Meatpackers and some Republican leaders are pulling out all the stops to try and kill COOL despite overwhelming public support," said IATP's National Organizer Niel Ritchie "Deleting the money for implementation is a slap in the face of U.S. farmers and ranchers - particularly after it was approved in Congress just last year."

IATP is also part of the U.S. Salmon Network, which called for even stronger provisions of the COOL initiative that extends beyond the designation of "wild" "farmed" and country of origin. U.S. wild salmon stocks are threatened by the import of cheap farmed varieties grown in Chile, Canada, Scotland and Norway.

"Country of origin labeling for fish and seafood is a good first step towards consumer’s right-to-know and better fish and seafood choices," said IATP's Dr. Mike Skladany, director of IATP's Fish Program. "Since the vast majority of our seafood is imported, knowing whether fish is wild caught, farm raised and country of origin injects some first steps into a better understanding of our oceans, fishing and farm raised methods. There is a lot there that requires greater clarification and transparency."

The USDA is holding listening and educational sessions in 12 states representing a cross-section of the food and agriculture sector. Those states are California, Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.

The Minnesota session will take place tomorrow, June 24, from 1-4 pm at the University of Minnesota, Earle Brown Continuing Education Center, 1890 Buford Avenue, St. Paul.

To read more extensive comments on COOL from IATP and Americans for Country of Origin Labeling, go to: http://www.agobservatory.org/library/uploadedfiles/Americans_for_Country_of_Origin_Labeling_-_Com.doc

The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy promotes resilient family farms, rural communities and ecosystems around the world through research and education, science and technology, and advocacy.

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