Daily News Update, Feb. 8, 2008

Congress ponders COOL delay

House Ag Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) told the Wall Street Journal that the law to implement mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) may be postponed due to the delay in finalizing a new farm bill.

Language in both the House and Senate versions of the 2007 farm bill makes some much-needed adjustments to the mandatory COOL law scheduled to be implemented in September 2008.

USDA's rulemaking process can't begin until provisions to the COOL law are finalized, and there may not be enough time to go through an appropriate rulemaking and implementation process. Peterson says the continued delays may push back implementation of COOL to January 2009.