COOL Fixes?

I got an interesting e-mail from the Montana Cattleman's Association (MCA) on the status of <acronym title="Country of Origin Labeling">COOL</acronym> in Congress and i wanted to share part of it.<br />n<br />n<blockquote>After five years of constant fighting, agricultural and meat industry groups have struck a compromise on mandatory country origin labeling.<br />n<br />nFollowing a day of negotiating among industry officials, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, D-Minn., announced the agreement as a dramatic conclusion while the Agriculture Committee capped off its work on the 2007 farm bill Thursday night. ……<br />n<br />nThe penalties and the paperwork to prove the origin of an animal were relaxed to create a more workable law. Only the most egregious offenders will likely face stiff penalties under the new deal.<br />n<br />n"We've taken out the huge penalties and that sort of thing and made a more realistic situation," Peterson said. </blockquote><br />n<br />nI <a href="http://nowherethoughts.net/sarpysam/plugin/tag/cool">explained my feelings</a> on the <acronym title="Country of Origin Labeling">COOL</acronym> law the other day. This agreement appears to cover one of my bigger concerns, the paperwork required for the system. Reducing that will reduce the cost of the system to the producer and consumers of beef so this is a good thing. I will withhold judgment on this until I actually see what the requirements are. Sometimes what people claim is a little over the top of what reality brings us so I've learned to dampen my enthusiasm for things until I actually see them with my own two eyes.<br />n<br />nI really don't think this compromise fixes the <acronym title="Country of Origin Labeling">COOL</acronym> law. It might make it a little better, hopefully my costs will be less this way, but I still don't think it will help the US cattle producer significantly. This compromise still doesn't address the fact that <acronym title="Country of Origin Labeling">COOL</acronym> has nothing to do with food safety like the supporters claim. There is a false pretense here that they are selling to the consumer that I feel could come back and bite us in the butt. Maybe once <acronym title="Country of Origin Labeling">COOL</acronym> is in effect and consumers don't see the <acronym title="Country of Origin Labeling">COOL</acronym> labels in restaurants and on poultry they will rise up in anger and change things. Pigs fly to don't you know. The large majority of consumers won't care one wit about this in the long run. All they will care about is the price they pay. If this causes it to go up they will howl with complaint.<br />n<br />n<strong>Compromise: An agreement between two men to do what both agree is wrong. Lord Edward Cecil</strong><br />n<br />nUPDATE: <a href="http://www.cattlenetwork.com/content.asp?contentid=146272">Here is a story on the compromise</a>.<br />n<br />