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from Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin
For Immediate Release
Contact: Chip Weiskotten, 202-226-8553
Russ Levsen, 202-226-4449
HERSETH
SANDLIN TO OPPOSE FARM BILL AMENDMENTS THAT
WEAKEN MANDATORY COOL
Proposed
Language Would Allow Foreign-Born Animals to Easily Gain USA Label
July 18,
2007, Washington, D.C. –
As the full House Agriculture Committee considers the 2007 Farm Bill
this week, U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin reiterated her longstanding
support for mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL), and her strong
opposition to weakening the terms of the long-delayed program. A proposed
amendment to the Farm Bill this week includes language that would effectively
kill mandatory COOL, which was passed into law as part of the 2002 Farm
Bill but has yet to be implemented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The amendment, proposed
by Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and David Scott (D-GA), would weaken the
“born-raised-slaughtered” standard of the 2002 law to allow foreign-born
animals to be considered part of the domestic herd or flock – and gain
a USA label – simply by spending time in an American feedlot.
Rep. Herseth Sandlin
said, “Weakening the ‘born-raised-slaughtered’ standard takes the teeth
and effectiveness out of the program, and puts our domestic herd at
risk. Mandatory country-of-origin labeling is the law of the land, and
has been for nearly five years. There is no excuse for the continued
delays to this law, which would enhance the safety of our domestic herd
and food supply, as well as give consumers greater knowledge and peace
of mind about where their food is coming from. COOL has to be mandatory,
and it has to be effective and I will oppose all efforts to water it
down in the Committee.”
U.S. Rep. Stephanie
Herseth Sandlin is a member of the House Agriculture Committee and two
Agriculture Subcommittees: Conservation, Credit, Energy and Research;
and General Farm Commodities and Risk Management.
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Congresswoman
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin serves South Dakota in the U.S. House of Representatives.
She is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate Democrats
committed to fiscal discipline and strong national security, and is
co-chair of the Rural Working Group, which is dedicated to raising the
profile of issues important to rural America. She also serves on three
committees vital to South Dakota’s interests: Agriculture, Veterans’
Affairs and Natural Resources. In the 110th Congress, Rep. Herseth Sandlin
was appointed to serve on the Select Committee on Energy Independence
and Global Warming.
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