Contact: R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard Phone: 406-252-2516; r-calfusa@r-calfusa.com
Billings, Mont. – Less than one-month ago, R-CALF USA issued a member alert seeking help in gaining thousands of signatures on a petition addressed to U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. The petition urges Ross to reinstate country of origin labeling (COOL) for beef during his ongoing renegotiations of various U.S. trade agreements. To date, at nearly 34,000 signatures, the ranch group’s expectations for thousands of signatures has turned into tens of thousands.
“We’re expecting even more before our November 14 deadline, at which time the petition will be delivered to Secretary Ross,” said the group’s spokesperson, Carrie Walling.
While R-CALF USA carries the petition in the farming and ranching community, the consumer group, Food & Water Watch is circulating an identical petition to consumers.
The group says the tremendous response to the petition shows widespread support within the ranching community for reinstating COOL during the Trump Administration’s renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
“Anyone who wants to know the origins of the beef they buy for themselves and their families should go to address listed below and sign the petition before November 14,” Walling said.
The petition is posted at change.org and is available at: https://www.change.org/p/secretary-of-commerce-wilbur-l-ross-bring-back-country-of-origin-food-labeling
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R-CALF USA (Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America) is the largest producer-only cattle trade association in the United States. It is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring the continued profitability and viability of the U.S. cattle industry. For more information, visit www.r-calfusa.com or, call 406-252-2516.
