06/18/2015 Sean Duffy and 299 others use terror to justify voting against 95% of U.S. Citizens Opinions on COOL.

Disastrous NAFTA Failures Negatively Impact U.S. Jobs, Illegal Immigration: 

This is a new result of NAFTA.

This congressman and 299 others are cowards for giving in to corporate interests and other nations that cannot prove any monetary damage based on Country-of-origin-labeling (COOL).

 

These members of Congress stand against us (the 95%) that want Country-of-origin-labeling (COOL).

They should be called and told either start representing us or know we will put them out of office.

Congressman Sean Duffy

June 18, 2015

Dear SFC Oldenburg,

Thank you for taking time and reaching out to me. As your Congressman, I work for you, so nothing is more important to me than your issues, concerns, and opinions, and those of your neighbors. Knowing what you think and need helps me represent you better in Washington. 

Country-of-origin-labeling (COOL) has been a standard practice for most agricultural products since the 1930's. However, certain products, including a number of agricultural commodities in their "natural" state, such as meats, fruits and vegetables, were excluded from COOL requirements until the 2002 Farm Bill. This legislation, which reauthorizes U.S. agricultural and food programs, included a provision that mandated COOL requirements for meats, fruits, and vegetables. In 2011, Canada and Mexico challenged the use of COOL specifically for meat labeling using the World Trade Organization's (WTO's) dispute settlement process. They expressed concerns that normal livestock trade flows would be disrupted in response to the U.S. imposed COOL regulations and questioned its legality under international trade rules. In November 2011, a WTO dispute settlement panel found that COOL discriminated against foreign livestock and was not consistent with WTO rules. 

The Obama Administration decided to appeal the WTO panel's ruling. In May 2015, the WTO ruled again that COOL placed an unnecessary burden on producers and processors of livestock. This new ruling led to Rep. Mike Conaway (TX-11) to introduce H.R. 2393, to repeal the COOL requirements for cattle, hogs, and chicken. No other industry is exempted from the requirements under H.R. 2393. This legislation passed the House of Representatives on June 10, 2015 by a vote of 300-131. I was proud to support this legislation, and hope the Senate will quickly pass this bill. 

Knowing of your interest in this issue, I wanted to highlight that last Congress, I supported a five year reauthorization of the Farm Bill. Like other parts of our economy, farmers need certainty to help them make wise planning decisions.  It remains very difficult to plan while federal farm policy remains so unsettled, which is why this long-term reauthorization was so critical. Wisconsin's agricultural sector accounts for more than $59 billion dollars of our economy and provides over 354,000 jobs, making reauthorization of the Farm Bill of utmost importance to the state of Wisconsin. 

In particular, central and northern Wisconsin produce more cranberries and more ginseng than any other area in the world and one important aspect of the Farm Bill is to ensure those specialty crops are able to flourish. Our region's proud tradition of forestry and sustainable timber harvests is another important policy covered in the Farm Bill. Wisconsin also ranks number one in the nation in the number of dairy farms, making sensible dairy policy one of my priorities. Know that I will remember your thoughts as Congress addresses COOL requirements and other agricultural regulations.

It is an honor and privilege to represent you in the U.S. House of Representatives. Again, I appreciate you taking the time to voice your concerns and address your questions.  Please feel free to e-mail or call if you have any questions or concerns in the future.

Sincerely,

Sean P. Duffy
Member of Congress

H.R.2393 
Latest Title: Country of Origin Labeling Amendments Act of 2015 
Sponsor: Rep Conaway, K. Michael [TX-11] (introduced 5/18/2015)      Cosponsors (82) 
Related Bills: H.RES.303 
Latest Major Action: 6/11/2015 Received in the Senate. 
House Reports: 114-131

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SUMMARY AS OF:

5/29/2015--Reported to House amended.    (There is 1 other summary)

Country of Origin Labeling Amendments Act of 2015

(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to repeal country of origin labeling requirements for beef, pork, and chicken. Country of origin labeling requirements are administered by the Department of Agriculture and require a retailer to inform consumers of the country of origin of a covered commodity.

These 300 House Representatives Voted for large cooperate meat producers/foreign nations and against family meat producers and our nations sovereignty. Tell them that they are cowardly terror mongers.
 

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