Farmers Union Supports American Beef Labeling Act

Recently, South Dakota Republican Senator John Thune and New Jersey Democrat Cory Booker introduced the American Beef Labeling Act.  Support for the legislation is starting to role in.

National Farmers Union announced this week its support of the bipartisan legislation, which, if passed would codify mandatory country-of-origin labeling, or MCOOL, for beef sold in the U.S.  According to NFU, this would distinguish American-produced products in grocery stores.  The organization also urged additional co-sponsors to endorse the bill and support its swift passage.

“America’s family farmers and ranchers produce the best agricultural products in the world, and consumers have the right to know where their products come from,” said NFU President Rob Larew.

Specifically, Larew noted. the ABLA will give American farmers and ranchers more power in production and marketing by including package labeling indicating that their product was born, raised, slaughtered, and packaged entirely in the U.S.  This, he said, will allow small and mid-sized producers to occupy a larger market share and receive a greater share of the American consumer’s food dollar, creating a more competitive marketplace.

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