Dear Steven:
In your column on June 21, 2004 you ask, “What good is a program if nobody is going to utilize it?”
History has taught us that most Americans replaced their horse drawn transportation with horse-power vehicles when they appeared to serve their needs without any government mandate to do so. My point is that virtually all changes are market-driven not mandated by the U.S. government.
The problem with mandated COOL is that a small segment of the livestock industry wants the entire industry to march to its tune, and to remove what is really important in a market-oriented democracy—the right to choose.
Contrary to your comments, the bi-partisan Goodlatte-Stenholm bill with co-sponsors, introduced in Congress last week and supported by 324 organizations, would once again empower those who seek a market niche for voluntarily providing source verification and to proudly proclaim this on their labeling.
Consumers are not clamoring for COOL information. There are no studies that suggest there is a groundswell demand for the information. Rather, it is a few organizations who think this would be good for their particular businesses, but they don’t have faith enough in their own convictions to do it by their own example and possibly reap the rewards of being leaders!
Finally, mandated COOL is an ill-guided attempt to force an animal identification program before it is ready to be launched. This would result in a terrible and unnecessary train-wreck for the entire livestock sector and should be avoided. Please think again.
Sincerely,
Rosemary Mucklow, Executive Director, National Meat Association




