Imported Meat Labeling, Price
Disclosure Deleted From Bill

WASHINGTON — Despite months of lobbying by cattle producers across the country and an advertising campaign in the Capitol city, the cattle industry is expressing disappointment that Congress late Tuesday night voted against two key measures that would have increased marketing opportunities for cattle producers.

Price reporting for boxed and imported beef, and limited reporting of live cattle sales would have increased market transparency, and country-of-origin labeling for beef would have enhanced marketing tools for cattle producers, says the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

Both provisions were voted down and are no longer a part of the agricultural appropriations bill that still is being considered by a House-Senate conference committee. The committee did approve USDA studies on both issues.

"This is a frustrating setback for cattle producers at a time when cattle prices are low and producers are going out of business, but we're determined to stay in the fight," said NCBA President Clark Willingham, a cattle producer from Dallas.

"Congressmen had a hard job. They were under immense pressure from a coalition of meat packers, food processors, grocery store companies and even foreign governments against these issues.

"NCBA plans to petition USDA to rescind USDA quality grading of imported meat," he added. "We'll use the USDA studies to gain additional support and urge Congress to hold hearings on both measures as soon as they are back in session next year."

Notes NCBA Dues Division Chairman Bill Gallagher, a cattle producer from Stephan, S.D., "It's always easier to stop something in Congress than it is to get something approved.

"The votes were close and both these issues were hotly debated until the last minute," Gallagher said. "If congressmen haven't learned it yet, they will — cattle producers don't give up."

The industry took advantage of the only opportunity to move meat labeling and price reporting this year by working with a bipartisan group of Senators to attach it to the agricultural appropriations measure. Next year, NCBA will urge Senators and Congressmen to introduce both measures as stand-alone legislation.

"This is just the beginning," Willingham added. "Meat labeling and price reporting are priority issues for cattle producers and we've made them issues at the nation's Capitol. It's tough to add non-appropriations measures to an appropriations bill, but we made it all the way to the conference committee."

Other funding measures still in the appropriations bill that NCBA is supporting include emergency feed assistance for livestock producers, food safety research, emerging animal disease research and the Market Access Program.