Country of Origin Labeling Amendments Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. ROUZER. Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the Livestock and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee, I rise in support of this bill, the Country of Origin Labeling Amendments Act of 2015, which repeals the country of origin labeling law, also known as COOL.

After numerous failed attempts to make COOL compliant with the World Trade Organization, it has become apparent that full repeal of COOL is unquestionably the right thing to do.

That said, I am sure there are some who are concerned that repeal of COOL may compromise food safety. America had the safest, most trusted food supply in the world before COOL and, let me assure you, we will continue to have the safest food supply after this law is repealed.

Let me explain why. Regardless of origin, if an animal is imported as a live animal, it is harvested in USDA-inspected facilities. Additionally, cattle, hogs, and poultry are inspected prior to harvesting as live animals and throughout processing as a meat product.

If the animal originates and is harvested in a different country, the plant has to have equivalent U.S. safety inspection standards and must be regularly audited by the USDA. The U.S. only imports meat products from countries that meet our standards. Furthermore, a foreign plant that does not fully comply with our standards is not permitted to ship meat into this country.

In short, the fundamental protocols ensuring food safety are apart and separate from country of origin labeling. Suppliers in foreign countries will still be expected to comply with the same inspection standards as they have now.

In closing, I would like to thank Chairman CONAWAY, subcommittee Ranking Member Costa, and the committee staff for their tremendous help and guidance on this important matter.

Mr. Speaker, I commend this legislation to my colleagues and appreciate their support.

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