Country of Origin Labeling or COOL as it is know in the industry, has been a topic of conversation among livestock producers since it was first introduced with the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (aka the 2002 Farm Bill). Implementation of COOL for all but fish and shellfish was delayed until 2004 and then again until 2006.
The passage of the 2007 Farm Bill in May 2008 brought with it a provision that COOL would be implemented by September 30, 2008.
July 15, 2008, was selected in the compromise bill as a date to grandfather all livestock currently in the USA that originated in other countries.
Producers should consider taking inventory their herds and document the numbers of animals they have present (young and mature) on July 15, 2008, as this information might prove useful in the future.
Producers should also keep track of invoices for livestock purchased and brought into their herds after this date and keep records of where these animals originated.
It is not currently known how producers will be required to document the origin of their livestock for future sale, as the rules for COOL are still being written by the USDA.
I will try to update COOL information in this blog as more becomes available this summer.
For more information on COOL, you might consider reading the following link:
Country-of-Origin Labeling for Foods CRS Report for Congress (May 2008)
