“We are calling on Congress to fix the mistakes they have made, mistakes that are costing cattlemen and women money every day. Mistakes like mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (MCOOL), which has already resulted in steep discounts to our producers and caused prejudice against our largest trading partners,” said Scott George, president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) in a letter to Congress earlier this week.

“This farm bill is foundationally flawed and the livestock sector is standing shoulder-to-shoulder in opposition of a farm bill that will only serve to cause greater harm to rural America,” George explained.

The Agricultural Act of 2014 — the farm bill that came out of a bilateral conference committee, passed in the House last week and goes to the Senate for a likely vote next week— retains anti-competition provisions that NCBA and other groups were against. MCOOL is one such point of contention, as the World Trade Organization (WTO) has already ruled that the law puts the U.S. out of compliance with its WTO obligations.

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