Background: Section 10816 of the 2002 Farm Bill (7 U.S.C. 1638) requires retailers to inform consumers of the country of origin of a covered commodity.

• USDA Reserves Use of 840 Animal Identification Numbers to Only Livestock Born in the United States (09/18/08)
• USDA Takes Action on Mandatory Country Of Origin Labeling (07/29/08)
• Business Plan Guides National Animal Identification System(04/2008)

• TRANSCRIPT: USDA Officials Hold News Conference Call with Reporters to Discuss COOL Implementation (9-30-08)
• AUDIO: USDA Officials Hold News Conference Call with Reporters to Discuss COOL Implementation (9-30-08)

Enables producers to easily provide information on origin of their livestock to packers. In turn, packers can rely on this information for their origin claims on products, in accordance with country of origin labeling (COOL).