No Committee Fight Expected on COOL
WASHINGTON (DTN) --- Some of the biggest news Wednesday night at the House Agriculture Committee markup of the 2007 farm bill was out in the hallways talking about what the committee won't debate.
Barring any wildcards on the committee Thursday, backers of mandatory country-of-origin labeling appear to be winning out at the committee level. It's unlikely the committee will have any amendments to re-interpret what classifies as product of U.S. or how to label products like hamburger.
The committee could take up a COOL amendment on Wednesday, but it's appearing less likely.
The difference makers here are Tom Buis, president of the National Farmers Union, and Lou Dobbs, host on CNN.
Buis made it clear that if the Agriculture Committee weakens the current COOL law, then he will push supporters to hit the floor during the full House debate and raise all of the ills coming out of imported food scares. That made people wanting to soften COOL to rethink their strategy.
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn., has gotten the pro and con people on COOL to agree to allow Buis and a long-time livestock-meat industry lobbyist Randy Russell to work with Peterson and the committee's Ranking Member Bob Goodlatte, R-Va. They will deal with penalties, how to label hamburger and an agreement on origin of a live animal.
Then there is what is now the Lou Dobbs effect. Since Monday, Dobbs has picked up the mantle of COOL supporter, spending large segments of his show in CNN questioning why COOL isn't already in effect. Dobbs has vowed to keep pounding on the issue to the point he has called USDA on the carpet to appear on the show and justify what's going on at the department on implementing the law.
As one leader of a pro-COOL group said Wednesday night: "The stars are lining up for us."
Quote of the Day
Lawmakers were getting a little punch-drunk around midnight as some colleagues kept bringing up amendments in nutrition program, looking for more money to fund healthy eating or anti-obesity programs. After about the fourth amendment on anti-obesity issues, Peterson chirped,
"This isn't no-diet-left-behind."
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