Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry approved a bipartisan amendment to restore mandatory country-of-origin labeling (MCOOL) for beef during its Farm Bill markup.
The amendment, led by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), passed by a broad bipartisan voice vote, making it the only bipartisan amendment adopted during today’s markup. The vote represents significant momentum for restoring consumers’ right to know where their beef was born, raised and harvested, and for allowing American cattle producers to distinguish their product in the marketplace.
“Today’s vote marks the most significant step toward restoring mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef in more than a decade and demonstrates the broad bipartisan support for this issue,” said R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard. “We thank Senate Majority Leader John Thune for his leadership in advancing this amendment and the bipartisan group of senators who supported it. We also recognize the thousands of independent cattle producers and consumers who have remained committed to this effort for many years.”
Based on R-CALF USA’s observation of the proceedings, the senators appearing to vote in favor of the amendment were Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.).
The senators appearing to vote against the amendment were Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-Ark.).
The MCOOL amendment was adopted by the committee. However, the committee recessed without passing the full Farm Bill package as discussions regarding SNAP provisions continue. Once the amended Farm Bill is reported out of committee, it will advance to the full U.S. Senate for consideration.
