CONGRESSMAN BISHOP WORKS TO PROTECT U.S. BEEF, PORK, CHICKEN MARKETS

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, took to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to urge his colleagues to support the repeal of the Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL) law by approving H.R. 2393, the Country-of-Origin Labeling Amendments Act of 2015.

"If Congress fails to repeal this harmful government mandate, Canada and Mexico have made clear that they will retaliate against a range of U.S. products within a matter of months by imposing onerous tariffs resulting in higher costs and lost market share for U.S. producers – up to $3.5 billion a year. A hit of that magnitude could be devastating to the U.S. beef, pork, and chicken industries," said Congressman Bishop.

To view a video of Congressman Bishop's full remarks on the floor, please click here.

Since its enactment in 2002, the COOL labeling law has led to tensions between the United States, Canada and Mexico. Canada and Mexico argue that COOL has hurt their livestock industries and have taken the U.S. to the World Trade Organization (WTO), which has ruled against the United States on four separate occasions. Canada and Mexico now can request authorization to retaliate against the U.S. in order to repair the damages they claim the COOL law has caused to their economies.

H.R. 2393 was approved by a vote of 244 to 187 and now goes to the Senate for consideration. Congressman Bishop is one of the original cosponsors of this bill.