RAPID CITY, S.D. – One of the priorities of the South Dakota Stockgrower’s Association is getting mandatory country of origin labeling reinstated. Association Executive Director James Halverson says recently they got the support of South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds in circulating a resolution to get M-COOL back.
“The country of origin labeling resolution that was overwhelmingly passed in the Legislature this year and he (Rounds) has kinda taken the bull by the horns anad written a letter and delivered it to the president himself, so we have been working hand and hand with his office.”
He says the Senator’s support of M-COOL is part of his three point plan to address the depressed cattle prices producers are currently suffering from. Halverson says COOL opponents have worried about retaliation from U.S.trading partners, but Halverson says any retaliation would cause less damage than the current cattle prices are causing.
“We understand that is the number one concern and that’s why we worked with Senator Gary Cammack in the State Legislature when we were drafting this resolution that basically is asking the President and his trade negotiators to go and re-negotiate those agreements so we can avoid those retaliatory tariffs.”
Halverson says it doesn’t make sense there aren’t any labeling protections in place for beef or pork but there is for every other product.
Halverson and State Senator Gary Cammack both worked with Senator Mike Rounds as he developed his cattle market crisis response plan.
