Congress Moves to Eliminate Labels Showing Consumers Where Meat Comes from Following WTO Ruling

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A House committee has voted to get rid of labels on packages of meat that say where the animals were born, raised and slaughtered.

The House Agriculture Committee voted 38-6 to repeal a “country-of-origin” labeling law for beef, pork and poultry Wednesday — just two days after the World Trade Organization ruled against parts of the law. The labels tell consumers what countries the meat is from: for example, “born in Canada, raised and slaughtered in the United States” or “born, raised and slaughtered in the United States.”

From the Washington Post article: House Panel Votes to Repeal Country-Origin Meat Labeling Law

The following article should take on an increased significance given the Obama administration’s current desperate and aggressive push to receive “fast-track” authority to pass the secret Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. If you aren’t up to speed on the topic, see:

Trade Expert and TPP Whistleblower – “We Should Be Very Concerned about What’s Hidden in This Trade Deal”

As the Senate Prepares to Vote on “Fast Track,” Here’s a Quick Primer on the Dangers of the TPP

Meanwhile, finding out where the meat you buy at the grocery store was born, raised and slaughtered might become a lot more difficult thanks to Congress. The Washington Post reports that:

WASHINGTON — A House committee has voted to get rid of labels on packages of meat that say where the animals were born, raised and slaughtered.

The House Agriculture Committee voted 38-6 to repeal a “country-of-origin” labeling law for beef, pork and poultry Wednesday — just two days after the World Trade Organization ruled against parts of the law. The labels tell consumers what countries the meat is from: for example, “born in Canada, raised and slaughtered in the United States” or “born, raised and slaughtered in the United States.”

The WTO ruled Monday that the U.S. labels put Canadian and Mexican livestock at a disadvantage, rejecting a U.S. appeal after a similar WTO decision last year.

The law was initially written at the behest of northern U.S. ranchers who compete with the Canadian cattle industry. It also was backed by some consumer advocates who say it helps shoppers know where their food comes from. The supporters have called on the U.S. government to negotiate with Canada and Mexico to find labels acceptable to all countries.

But many in the U.S. meat industry — including meat processors who buy animals from abroad — have called for a repeal of the law, which they have fought for years, including unsuccessfully in federal court.

The bill would go beyond just the muscle cuts of red meat that were covered under the WTO case, also repealing country-of-origin labeling for poultry, ground beef and ground pork. Conaway said the poultry industry asked to be included after facing “high costs and little if any quantifiable benefits” from the labeling law.

Debbie Barker of the Center for Food Safety said the WTO’s ruling, and the House’s action, show no regard for shoppers who want to know where their meat comes from.

“It’s stunning that some members of Congress are so quick to respond to a closed-door, international trade body with no apparent regard for the wishes of American consumers,” Barker said.

On the Senate side, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts of Kansas also has said he will move quickly to respond to the WTO ruling, but he has yet to introduce a bill.

Congress. It supposedly “can’t get anything done,” but when it comes to reducing choices for consumers, helping boost corporate profits and reducing citizens’ civil liberties, it has an uncanny ability to act with a remarkable quickness.

Just another day in the corporate-statist oligarchy.

You can look forward to a lot more headlines like these in the years ahead:

States Move to Criminalize Whistleblowing on Food Fraud and Animal Cruelty

How Undercover Animal Rights Activists are Winning the Ag-Gag War

This is What Happens to Walmart Pork Before it Reaches Your Plate

Hot Pockets Recalls 8 Million Pounds of Meat Due to “Diseased and Unsound Animals”

Forget Horse Meat or Fake Tuna, Rat Meat is Being Sold as Lamb in China

Food Fraud Hits a New Low with the Potential Emergence of Dog Meat in the UK

The Meat Industry Now Consumes 80% of All Antibiotics

In Liberty,
Michael Krieger

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8 thoughts on “Congress Moves to Eliminate Labels Showing Consumers Where Meat Comes from Following WTO Ruling”

  1. Better brush up on those hunting skills. Going to be interesting to guess what kind of meat we get from China, and just what additives they want to stretch it with.

    Reply
  2. The reason Congress is so traitorous is because Washington D.C. is a private corporation owned by foreign off-shore central banks since at least 1871. I am a independent journalist trying to expose the mainstream media’s lies. Check out my news site http://www.CortezReport.com for more eye opening information, thank you.

    Reply
  3. How can you be free to eat whatever you want if you dont know where it came from or what is in the food, GMO, etc?

    How can you be said to be in a free country if you are not even free to eat whatever you want?

    Freedom in Amerika is a lie.

    Reply

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