The United States Cattlemen’s Association, National Farmers Union, and other agricultural groups advocate for reinstating mandatory country-of-origin labeling (MCOOL) for beef. Current store-labeled beef often lacks reliable origin information, as it can come from the USA or any of the twenty importing countries. USDA inspection labels don’t clarify the source, and consumers deserve transparency about where their beef comes from.

Four major international meat packers import cheaper foreign beef to sell at higher prices in the U.S. In 2008, Congress enacted MCOOL for beef, but by 2015, the packers swayed Canada and Mexico to challenge it, leading the World Trade Organization (WTO) to restore misleading labeling practices in the U.S. beef market.

The WTO has inconsistently enforced its rules, with European Union Member States requiring origin labeling for all beef and countries like Japan, Austria, and Brazil implementing MCOOL labels. The U.S. Trade Representative criticized the WTO’s ruling for misinterpreting agreements and undermining U.S. sovereignty. Subsequent U.S. administrations, including Obama, Biden, and Trump, did not appoint new judges to the WTO court, leading to a lack of quorum by 2019. Thus, the WTO court can no longer function.

The meatpackers lobby in Congress against reinstating beef MCOOL, but their points can be countered. First, they reference a Kentucky study claiming consumers prioritize price, not the country’s origin. However, MCOOL enhances transparency, allowing lower-cost imports to be compared with domestic beef, fostering competition, and keeping prices affordable.

Second, packers state that MCOOL didn’t increase demand for beef, but during its implementation, imported beef decreased, benefiting U.S. producers.

Thirdly, packers argue that tracing and labeling origins is costly, doesn’t benefit consumers, and only leads to higher prices. However, there was no significant increase in consumer prices during the mandatory COOL labeling for beef from 2008 to 2015. Origin labeling adds minimal costs for food companies, as most imports like bananas, dates, nuts, and chicken already require country-of-origin labels.

A research report by the EU states, “…the cost of compulsory labeling represents around 6% of the beef processing costs.” Since all European EU members’ beef must be labeled with the country of origin for each of their states (countries), this elevates their packers’ trace-label costs. R-CALF USA COOL Committee Chairman Mike Schulz of Kansas states that labeling U.S. beef doesn’t require tracking all U.S. cattle.

On February 5, 2025, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) reintroduced the bipartisan American Beef Labeling Act. The new MCOOL Senate Bill 421 aims to combat deceptive labeling, enhance consumer transparency, and support rural communities.

Please, ask your US Senators if they support beef MCOOL.

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John Clayton is a farmer in Brooklyn, Iowa. He’s a member of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement and Iowa Farmers Union, both of which support beef MCOOL. While his family farm no longer raises cattle, several neighboring farms have cattle. John believes in preserving family farms, which means local food producers need support.