Letter to the Editor — Repeal of COOL is an American Betrayal

Repeal of Country of Origin Labeling is an American Betrayal

As of June 10, 2015 the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR 2393 which will deny all Americans from knowing where their beef, chicken or pork comes from. Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) of our food is essentially on its way out, if we don’t fight to stop the greed of Multi National companies. Three hundred of our U.S. Representatives have already caved to greed of Multi National Meat Packers and foreign trade tribunals (WTO). Since Congress voluntarily surrendered its oversight authority for trade to the WTO in 1993, the US has accumulated a balance of trade deficit of 8 trillion dollars. With an 8 trillion dollar trade deficit proving that Congress doesn’t have a clue about business or they are trying to purposefully ruin us. My Congressman said “COOL was a failed experiment.” Americans can see the real failed experiment. Speaking of Trillions of dollars, how many Millions of American jobs were lost on the WTO failed experiment?

With Canada being the complainant in the WTO (COOL) case and 14 other countries having 3rd Party Rights; Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, E.U., India, Japan, Korea, N. Zealand and Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, Peru and Chinese Taipei, and 8 trillion dollars behind, we can easily see why they would want to continue holding our feet to the fire. Two of those Nations have got the green light from our Secretary of Agriculture to start shipping us fresh beef first of September (Only cooked beef previously because of Foot and Mouth Disease) and it is just a matter of time before the disease is here infecting all cloven footed animals in the U.S. Some of those Nations have USDA assurance they will get American Beef only. They want to avoid Canada’s Mad Cow Disease and Mexico’s TB. The Multinational Meat Packers can give them in essence COOL but it is a burden to follow the COOL Law for us Americans. The Packers and their Assns including the one I am forced to pay my cattle tax to, sued USDA over COOL 3 times and lost in the American court system. So they had to use a foreign trade tribunal and the House of Representatives went for it. Nobody has more to gain regarding Americans not knowing where their meat comes from than the Packers, and this whole WTO thing is Packer Induced.

Some actually support American sovereignty like Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT). She spoke for seven minutes on behalf of COOL and all of the Americans who support it. Rep. DeLauro said it all when she said, “People deserve to know where their food comes from. American farmers and ranchers deserve the opportunity to distinguish their products. It is an economic truism that complete and accurate information is one of the cornerstones of a free market.” Did anybody notice that not a shot was fired as our House of Rep. allowed foreigners to dictate change American to our law or else. The Senate Ag committee showed the same signs of what is to come with its Stacked Deck Testimony.

We already import 85% of Canada’s beef in one form or another, mostly going into the unlabeled restaurant and food service industry, how much more do we have to take? You can look on line and see the Canadian retaliatory import list, Beef and Pork head the list and Canada has more than they can choke down now. It is easy to see why my Congressman brokered this deal, “Spent Chicken” and spent chicken parts are on the list, yes Canada is threatening not to import any more spent chicken. My Congressman Conaway, 299 other Congressmen, Texas Farm Bureau, and Texas Agriculture Commissioner, and all the MultiNational MeatPackers and their assns, including the Assn we are forced to pay beef checkoff dollars to, are saying by their actions, save the spent chicken deal and to hell with American Cattle Industry. I for one have had enough of this Anti American betrayal from both parties trying to outdo the other, all in an effort to placate foreign interests before the interests of the American people.

Caving in to foreigners, changing American laws and endangering our livestock markets altogether, it is not a coincidence, it is all orchestrated by Big Packer Power. Three major Multi National Meatpackers (the biggest being Brazilian) calling shots.

283 groups representing millions of American consumers, farms, ranches, manufacturing and communities have sent repeated letters to Congress showing strong support for COOL. A 2014 Consumer Reports survey found that 90% of consumers support COOL. Is it really such a hard decision for Congress: add to the 8 trillion dollar WTO Failed Experiment, or represent Americans? We all know the definition of insanity is, “doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result.” When Congress changes a good American law in order to placate a few Multi National Meat Packers and other nations – if that is not treason, it is at least a betrayal.

James Stotts

Llano, TX