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About Stephanie |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Supports Substitute to Amendment Stripping Mandatory Language from Farm Bill July 22, 2004, Washington, DC – In a contentious House Agriculture Committee meeting today, Rep. Stephanie Herseth voted against a bill that would replace mandatory country-of-origin labeling with a voluntary program. During Agriculture Committee debate, Herseth supported substitute language offered by Rep. Dennis Rehberg (R-MT) and Collin Peterson (D-MN) that would have preserved the mandatory requirement, as included in the 2002 Farm Bill. However, the committee voted by a 32-16 margin in favor of stripping the mandatory language and replacing it with voluntary. “This is extremely disappointing, and it indicates a clear lack of understanding of the needs of ranchers and livestock producers in South Dakota,” said Rep. Herseth. “Our producers need a powerful tool to build a market for their goods, especially in light of the recent House approval of the Australia Free Trade Agreement, and voluntary COOL is simply not sufficient. However, we do have a diverse, bipartisan coalition of members that are committed to supporting mandatory COOL, and I will work with them to defeat this voluntary bill once it reaches the House floor.” Dennis Wiese, President of the South Dakota Farmers Union, said: “I want to thank Rep. Herseth for her commitment to South Dakota's farmers, ranchers, and consumers. Obviously, House leadership has every intention of stripping the Farm Bill of the important COOL legislation which we fought for over a decade to get into law. We will count on our friends on the House floor to kill this dangerous move by the meatpackers and their allies. At a time of heightened awareness over security in our nation, it is beyond me why the Speaker and other leaders would put our food safety in jeopardy.” Rep. Herseth is a member of the House Agriculture Committee and its Horticulture and Livestock Subcommittee.
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