December 9, 2021

Dear Members of the United States Senate:

We, the hundreds of undersigned organizations, businesses, and individuals, urge you to cosponsor and immediately pass the American Beef Labeling Act of 2021 (S.2716), which reinstates mandatory country-of-origin labeling (M-COOL) for beef.

The American Beef Labeling Act (S.2716) addresses World Trade Organization (WTO) concerns regarding M-COOL by directing the United States Trade Representative and Secretary of Agriculture to determine the means of implementing M-COOL for beef in a manner compliant with WTO rules. If such means are not implemented within 12 months following enactment, beef and ground beef will be reinstated in the M-COOL statute that currently covers numerous other food commodities, 7 U.S.C. 1638 et seq.

This legislation would promote a safe and affordable supply of wholesome beef for America’s consumers; a fairer, more competitive market for America’s cattle farmers and ranchers; and quality family-sustaining jobs for meat processing workers. Following Congress’ 2015 repeal of M-COOL for beef, retail beef prices have become disconnected from underlying cattle prices, with retail beef prices and cattle prices moving in opposite directions. For several years now, consumers have been paying record prices for beef at the grocery store while cattle producers continue receiving decade-old, depressed prices for their cattle. This disconnect raises concerns that a consolidated and uncompetitive beef packing industry is exploiting consumers, workers, and ranchers alike.

M-COOL for beef will help to subject beef packers’ control over the beef supply chain to competitive market forces. M-COOL will empower consumers to exercise choice in the grocery store by informing them of whether they are purchasing domestic beef or beef that is wholly or partially imported. By acting upon this information, consumers’ origin-related buying preferences will translate into demand signals for beef produced in a particular country. Market research indicates that America’s consumers are willing to pay more for beef harvested from cattle exclusively born and raised in the United States, and S.2716 will enable the domestic cattle and beef supply chains to be more responsive to changes in consumer demand.

M-COOL is good for meat processing workers and will stem the loss of good-paying jobs in the beef sector. Shrinking U.S. cattle harvests continue to eliminate middle class jobs within the U.S. beef sector. Without M-COOL, thousands of workers in the U.S. food industry will suffer from job losses, and a lowering of labor standards.

Many consumer goods in America as well as other food commodities like chicken, lamb, fish, fruits and vegetables, ginseng, peanuts, and other nuts have long been required to be labeled as to their origin, and domestic and foreign producers and manufacturers alike have long been empowered to win the consumers’ favor for those goods that they produce and manufacture in their respective country. There is no reason to exclude beef from origin labeling requirements, and the current rules, which allow meatpackers to label as “Product of the USA” beef that is imported and repackaged at a U.S. processing facility, are indefensible. American consumers deserve the right to choose, American cattle farmers and ranchers deserve the right to compete for the consumers’ favor in their domestic market, and meat processing workers deserve quality jobs.

Please become a co-sponsor of the American Beef Labeling Act of 2021 (S.2716) and please encourage its enactment as quickly as possible.

Sincerely,

Business and Farm/Ranch Signers

1/2 Diamond Ranch
6D Cattle
7G Ranch
7G Ranch Ag West Feeds Inc.
Alapahabluff Livestock
Alexander Farms
Alme Farm And Ranch
Almo C&H grazing
Anichini – Moore Ranch & Farm
ARIZONA CUSTOM IRON
B 4 Cattle
Bangma Farms
Bar 13 Ranch
Bayou Born BBQ
Big Loop Cattle Company
Bowlin Cattle Company
Box Farms
Braaten Ranch
Brown Farm &Ranch
Burrell Farms
Buzzard Charolais, LLC
Cain cattle
Carter Cows LLC
Cathey Cattle Company
Cedar Cliff Farm
Chain Ranch Inc
Circle P Cattle Clapper Farms Coble Ranch Inc.
Cold Creek Ranch
Coney Island restaurant
Consumer’s Federal Credit Union
Cook Land and Company, LLC
Cornerstone Ranch
Covered-L Farm, LLC
Creighton Livestock Market
Cross S Ranch
D Lazy T Ranch
DAM Ammo Co
Damm Bros Inc
Dan Brown
Day Herefords
DeBord Ranch
Diamond J Cattle CO
Diamond W Red Angus
Dillard Farms
Dinklage Interprises
Dinklage Ranch
Doll’s Dairy Inc
Dr Stewart Ranch
DS Cattle LLC
Dumback Farms
Dunbar Creek Ranch
ECO Supplies and Services LLC
Edney Family Cattle Operation
Engebretson farm
Ernsting farm
Fancher Cattle company
Farris Ranching Company Fazzi Agriculture Inc.
Feed Mix
Ferguson Farms Ferme, Ltd.
Flying U Ranch LLC Fontenot Beef
FOX HOLE RANCH
Gesinger Ranch
Gonsoulin Land and Cattle
Grand Homes Florida Realty and Management
Grassburger
Guggenmos River Ranch LTD
H2O TRUCKING,LLC
Hall Farms
Happiness Farms Inc
Hardesty Farms
Harris Land and Cattle LLC
Hatcreek Beef
Hawks Rest Ranch
Heart Of The Heart Ranch
Hennen Farm
Hilyard Farm
Holland Cattle
Holste Tripleh Farm
Holton Meadows Cattle & Meats LLC
Hometown Credit Union
Horst Mountain Properties
Hyde Farms
J BAr C J&L Cattle Co LLC J&M Cattle Inc.
J.H.B. Cattle Co.
J4 Cattle Company
JADE Farms
Jaeger Land & Cattle LLC
JBJ Livestock
Jeff Daugherty
JF Ranch
JH CATTLE
John Mehlhoff Ranch
Jr. Solomon Farms
JT Cattle Company
Keaton Cattle Company
Kemna Farms
KenMar Angus
Kenzy Backgrounding LLC
Kingdom Cattle
KOMA Cattle Co
Kulm Family Ranch
Landon Vetter
Lawinger Livestock Company
Lazy A Ranch
Lazy D Farms
Lazy J Feeders Lazy JM Ranch
lifetime product industries
Lindberg Ranch
LOWNDES FARM SUPPLY INC.
Lytle Ranches
M Chacon Cattle Co
Madsen Cattle Company
Mae Properties
Makelky Ranch
Mark kraft
Martin Grain Farms Red Angus Ranch
Mashek Food Center
Mastel Ranch
MasterLube
Matt & Jenny Eggert
Matthews Farms
MC Ranch
McCormick Cattle Company McFarland Livestock Co. Inc.
Miles Ranch
MiPonderosa,LLC
Mitchell Equipment
Mitchell Ranch
ML Cattle
ML Cattle
MoJo Farms Montana Branded Inc.
MVM
Naneum Farms nelson ranch Nickel Heritage Farm
Nielson Ranch Co
NorCal Kangen Odell Ranching
OH-KY ADC of BAC
Omega cattle and curs
One Wing Ranch
Ovadia Heart Health LLC
Panse Greenhouses
Parsons Ranch
Pasa Chiropractic Center
Pelster family ranch
Perham Stockyards, Inc Platte Livestock Market
PPM
Presho Livestock
ProjektFlow, LLC
Queen Farm
Queen of Clubs
Raggio Cattle
Reed farms Reedsridge Beef Revere Copper Products, Inc.
RK Cattle Company
RKCattle Company
Roan Creek Ranch
Robie Ranch
Rockin R Hats
Rolling W Farm
Rosebud Farmers Union Cooperative
Round Barn Farm
Rugby Livestock LLC
Rusk Ranches LTD
San Lucas Ranch
Sanders Ranch Schaeffer Beef, LLC Sebago Sonography, Inc.
Seed of Hope Farm
Sellin Farms
Sheridan Animal Hospital
Signal Bluff Ranch
Snappy leather works
South Texas Weddings
Splendor Farm
SSJ Ranch
Steel Ranch
Stephens Ranch
Stickles Angus
Straka Ranch
Stroh Cattle
Sullivan cattle
Sunnyside Ranch
Sweet Water Farms LLC
Tavern Creek Gelbvieh, LLC
Tenn Texas LLC
That Ain’t Write
Tilton Farms
Tinant Ranch
Todd Ranch
Tornes cattle company
Tower Hills Ranch
Travis and Teresa Neugebauer Triangle 7 Cattle Co.
Triple O Cattle Co.
Trish Leone co-owner Peak View Ranch Twombly Cattle Co.
Van Horn Ranch Van Roekel cattle co Vess Excavating, Ltd.
Victorian Summit Vineyards W. A. BLACKWELL RANCHES, LLC Western Sky Patio Covers Inc.
Williams Cattle
Work Horse Farm Rescue and Exotics
Wright Bros
ZX land and Cattle