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Meat groups seek injunction against COOL
Story Date: 7/29/2013
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Source: Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE, 7/26/13
Nine organizations representing the U.S., Canadian, and Mexican meat and livestock industries are asking the United States District Court for the District of Columbia to grant a preliminary injunction to block USDA from implementing a mandatory country-of-origin labeling (“COOL”) rule that was finalized in May.
In the request filed today as part of a lawsuit filed July 8, the groups said that enforcement of the rule would cause irreparable harm to the industry and have severe economic impacts that are not in the public interest.
Plaintiffs include the American Association of Meat Processors, American Meat Institute, Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, Canadian Pork Council, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Pork Producers Council, North American Meat Association, Southwest Meat Association and Mexico’s National Confederation of Livestock Organizations, which joined the lawsuit this week.
The injunction request follows the complaint and 1) outlines the burden to the plaintiffs’ First Amendment speech rights; 2) explains that the rule exceeds the authority granted to USDA in the 2008 Farm Bill; and 3) demonstrates that the rule is arbitrary and capricious, offering little benefit to consumers while fundamentally altering the meat and poultry industry.
Cattle group disagrees
Meanwhile, Leo McDonnell, Director Emeritus of the United States Cattlemen's Association (USCA) announced that USCA will lead COOL supporters in intervention in the lawsuit.
McDonnell issued the following statement on behalf of the USCA board of directors:
"The USCA board has consulted with legal counsel in order to understand what the industry's best options are to assist with the defense of COOL in this case. Based on those discussions, the USCA board has unanimously chosen to intervene in this case and will lead a national effort to coordinate and network other key industry groups and associations into the process. This is an extremely important move and it must happen rapidly. It is our responsibility to intervene in this lawsuit to ensure that the court hears from the U.S. cattle industry and receives facts and arguments that will have a more meaningful impact coming from the industry itself."
For more stories, go to http://www.meatingplace.com/.
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