In a report due this week, the Washington State Department of Agriculture advises lawmakers to shelve legislation requiring meat sold as "U.S. beef" to come from cattle raised domestically.
The report warns a state law could provoke trade sanctions by Canada and Mexico and would likely be pre-empted anyway by federal rules that label imported cattle slaughtered in the states as a U.S.A. product.
State Rep. Joel Kretz, R-Okanogan County, said Monday he may introduce a bill to set apart in grocery stores beef born and raised in the U.S., despite the agriculture department's misgivings.
"The Legislature is about taking action and changing things. It's our responsibility, and we'll see where it comes out," Kretz said.
Kretz introduced a labeling bill last spring that passed the House, but stalled in the Senate over concerns it would strain trade relations with Canada. Washington cattle feeders and a meat packer opposed the bill, saying they rely on Canadian livestock to fill their lots and plant.
The agriculture department also opposed the bill. Some lawmakers, however, didn't let the issue go and told the department to study it.
In the draft report, the department says it's sympathetic to connecting Washington ranchers and consumers, but that a state law probably couldn't be enforced because of federal laws and policies.
The department suggests lawmakers wait and see whether label rules are changed either by trade negotiations or by the USDA, which has acknowledged the current labels may mislead consumers.
Beef slaughtered, canned, salted or otherwise prepared in the U.S. can be labeled a "Product of the U.S.A.," even if the cow was born and raised in another country.
While meat packers and cattle feeders defend the labels, some ranchers say they depreciate American cattle and deceive American consumers.
Prior to 2016, a mandatory country of origin law reserved the "Product of the U.S.A." stamp for homegrown cattle. The World Trade Organization found the practice unfair to Canadian and Mexican producers who sell live cattle to U.S. packers.
If the U.S. didn't change the law, Canada and Mexico could randomly pick U.S. goods and slap on retaliatory tariffs totaling $1 billion a year, the WTO ruled. Congress changed the law.
As evidence a state labeling law would be struck down, the state agriculture department cites a federal ruling in August in New Mexico. The judge dismissed suits alleging meat packers were enriching themselves at the expense of ranchers and consumers with misleading labels.
The judge ruled the labels were USDA approved and that the Federal Meat Inspection Act gave the agency sole control over labeling meat. The federal rule pre-empts state laws, according to the judge.
The state agriculture department said the ruling likely would apply to posting signs in grocery stores to mark off beef raised in the U.S.
Tyson Foods, Cargill Meat Solutions Corp., JBS USA Food Company and National Beef Packing Company were the defendants. The rancher and consumer who filed the suits have appealed to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.
The Link LonkDecember 29, 2020 at 07:30AM
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WSDA tells legislators to leave beef labels to feds - Capital Press
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