Lummis Reintroduces Legislation to Support Wyoming Ranchers and Promote Wyoming Beef

U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) joined a number of her colleagues in the Senate in reintroducing the American Beef Labeling Act, which would reinstate mandatory country of origin labeling (MCOOL) for beef. The bill would amend the American Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to establish country of origin labeling requirements for beef and for other purposes.  Wyoming is home to more than 100 cattle operations  with 72,000 head of cattle that are born, raised, and finished on Wyoming ranches.

The legislation would require the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), in consultation with the secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to develop a World Trade Organization-compliant means of reinstating MCOOL for beef within one year of enactment. USTR would have six months to develop a reinstatement plan followed by a six-month window to implement it.

Under the current beef labeling system, imported beef that is neither born nor raised in the United States, but simply finished here, can be labeled as a product from the United States. Countries like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil are the top importers of beef to the United States, and they can sell their products under a U.S. label.