| News
from Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin
HERSETH
SANDLIN TO OPPOSE FARM BILL AMENDMENTS THAT Proposed Language Would Allow Foreign-Born Animals to Easily Gain USA Label
July 18, 2007, Washington, D.C. – As the full House Agriculture Committee considers the 2007 Farm Bill this week, U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin reiterated her longstanding support for mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL), and her strong opposition to weakening the terms of the long-delayed program. A proposed amendment to the Farm Bill this week includes language that would effectively kill mandatory COOL, which was passed into law as part of the 2002 Farm Bill but has yet to be implemented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The amendment, proposed by Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and David Scott (D-GA), would weaken the “born-raised-slaughtered” standard of the 2002 law to allow foreign-born animals to be considered part of the domestic herd or flock – and gain a USA label – simply by spending time in an American feedlot. Rep. Herseth Sandlin said, “Weakening the ‘born-raised-slaughtered’ standard takes the teeth and effectiveness out of the program, and puts our domestic herd at risk. Mandatory country-of-origin labeling is the law of the land, and has been for nearly five years. There is no excuse for the continued delays to this law, which would enhance the safety of our domestic herd and food supply, as well as give consumers greater knowledge and peace of mind about where their food is coming from. COOL has to be mandatory, and it has to be effective and I will oppose all efforts to water it down in the Committee.” U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin is a member of the House Agriculture Committee and two Agriculture Subcommittees: Conservation, Credit, Energy and Research; and General Farm Commodities and Risk Management. # # # Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin serves South Dakota in the U.S. House of Representatives. She is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate Democrats committed to fiscal discipline and strong national security, and is co-chair of the Rural Working Group, which is dedicated to raising the profile of issues important to rural America. She also serves on three committees vital to South Dakota’s interests: Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs and Natural Resources. In the 110th Congress, Rep. Herseth Sandlin was appointed to serve on the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.
|
|
Washington, DC 331 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-2801 Fax: (202) 225-5823 |
Sioux
Falls 326 East 8th Street, Suite 108 Sioux Falls, SD 57104 Phone: (605) 367-8371 Fax: (605) 367-8373 Toll Free: (866) 371-8747 |
Rapid
City 343 Quincy Street Rapid City, SD 57702 Phone: (605) 394-5280 Fax: (605) 394-5282 |
Aberdeen 121 Fourth Avenue SW,
Suite 1 |
