Originally published May 31 2015
Congress kowtows to globalists, moves to repeal labeling on meat products to keep Americans in the dark
by J. D. Heyes
(NaturalNews) In America, government by secrecy seems to be the new normal as lawmakers and presidents operate in the shadows to negotiate secret trade deals while passing legislation aimed at reducing transparency.
As noted by the Washington Post and the Liberty Blitzkrieg web site, the House Agriculture Committee voted overwhelmingly (38-6) in recent days to repeal a "country of origin" law for beef, pork and poultry, just two days after the globalist World Trade Organization ruled against portions of the U.S. requirement.
The labels were required to inform customers where their meat came from, e.g. "born in Canada, raised and slaughtered in the United States," or "born, raised and slaughtered in the United States."
The WTO ruled that the U.S. labeling requirement put Canadian and Mexican livestock at a disadvantage. The global trade panel rejected a U.S. appeal following a similar WTO ruling last year, the Post noted.
In fact, the Obama administration has already changed the labels once in a bid to comply with the previous WTO rulings. Now, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who is currently working to sell out the GMO labeling movement, says that Congress must act to change the law to avoid a trade war in the form of extra tariffs from both countries.
Global entities writing U.S. law?
The Post further noted:
The law was initially written at the behest of northern U.S. ranchers who compete with the Canadian cattle industry. It also was backed by some consumer advocates who say it helps shoppers know where their food comes from. The supporters have called on the U.S. government to negotiate with Canada and Mexico to find labels acceptable to all countries.
But many in the U.S. meat industry — including meat processors who buy animals from abroad — have called for a repeal of the law, which they have fought for years, including unsuccessfully in federal court.
Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Texas, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, has been a longtime backer of the meat industry's call for repeal. He and several colleagues co-sponsored legislation to repeal the U.S. labeling law within hours of the WTO ruling, calling the measure a "targeted" response.
"We cannot sit back and let American businesses be held hostage to the desires of a small minority who refuse to acknowledge that the battle is lost," Conaway said.
Industry wins, Americans lose
All but six Democrats on the committee supported the measure as well. Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minnesota, the panel's top opposition member and a longtime labeling supporter, voted against the bill, saying there was still time to find a "workable North American solution."
The legislation approved by the House committee goes beyond simply muscle cuts of red meat that were covered under the WTO case. The Post said the bill would also repeal country-of-origin labeling for poultry, ground beef and ground pork. Conaway says poultry industry lobbyists insisted it be included in the legislation after facing "high costs and little if any quantifiable benefits" from the labeling law (what about consumers?).
Michael Krieger at Liberty Blitzkrieg said of the House panel's legislation, "[It] should take on an increased significance given the Obama administration's current desperate and aggressive push to receive 'fast-track' authority to pass the secret Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal" – the one that is being negotiated in secret, the details of which the administration refuses to make public.
The panel's bill would leave in place country of origin labeling requirements for a number of other commodities: lamb, venison, seafood, fruits, vegetables and some nuts.
"Canada and Mexico have called for repeal of the law and said they would seek authorization from the WTO to take retaliatory measures against U.S. exports," the Post reported. "The law causes their animals to be segregated from those of U.S. origin -- a costly process that has forced some U.S. companies to stop buying exports."
Once again, the corporate interests win and American consumers lose.
Sources:
http://libertyblitzkrieg.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com
http://www.fooddemocracynow.org/blog/2015/may/14-0
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