32 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN September 2026 POLICY mCOOL and Its Unintended Consequences JACLYN WILSON | NC VICE PRESIDENT It’s haying season on the ranch. I did something a little different this year – all in the name of efficiency – and figured out a way to strap a Starlink Mini to the swather. It’s given me a lot of time to go down rabbit holes. As I write this article in early August, the Farm Bill markup is taking place in the U.S. Senate, and mandatory country-of-origin labeling (mCOOL) has reared its ugly head again. Both Nebraska senators have indicated support of mCOOL, even though the largest grassroots membership ag association in the state representing beef cattle producers is against it. Why are those who live and breathe the beef industry opposed? It comes down to unintended consequences. The U.S. consumer would like to know where their product comes from. In every survey conducted, if asked, “Would you like to know where your product comes from (yes/no)?” A majority of consumers will say yes. If you expand that question to more than a simple yes or no, the answer changes. The Meat Demand Monitor, based at Kansas State University and jointly supported by both the Beef and Pork Checkoffs under the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association as the main contractor, shows that, if given a multiple-choice option, consumers are focused on taste, freshness, safety, price, nutritional value, appearance and even animal welfare before they will select origin and traceability. Next, all mandated origin-labeling programs require documentation. If the United States was one of more than 30 countries that implemented a mandatory origin and traceability program after the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) crisis, this conversation would be about a simple requirement to provide origin. In all the conversations concerning mCOOL, questions about producer responsibility remain unanswered for many things, including EIDs, affidavits, cattle passports and audits. It’s important to note, mandatory government programs mean Congress, U.S. Trade Representative, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Department of Commerce, the Federal Trade Commission and Border Protection can all get involved. USDA cannot mandate a traceability program for marketing purposes, so who is responsible for tracking cattle origin? There is a loophole that allows packers, who technically can’t dictate mandatory traceability, to put in place certain requirements for producers. We have already seen this with Beef Quality Assurance certifications. Further, there’s nothing preventing packers from requiring producers to provide increased record keeping and data collection to determine origin. The largest elephant in the room with mCOOL is who will pay? The numbers are all over the board. Some research indicates it could be in the millions, even billions. Implementing an mCOOL ® BY CONNOR AGRISCIENCE BARRIER FILMS S I LAGE CONTINUED ON PAGE 34
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTMxNTA5