The battle over mandatory country of origin labelling is heating up as American attorneys filed a late motion Aug. 9 asking a U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., to refuse to issue an order that would block implementation of COOL regulations.
The judge set Aug. 27 to hear oral arguments on the motion to block the rules, which was filed last month by a coalition of Canadian, Mexican and American meat processors and livestock organizations. The coalition is also challenging the validity of the law in another court case.
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The World Trade Organization recently ruled that the latest version of the COOL regulations violate international trade agreements.
In filing the Aug. 9 motion, U.S. department of justice attorneys argued the coalition has failed to show that they are entitled to an emergency order.
The brief’s main argument states the rule “was promulgated to provide consumers with accurate information about the origin of certain meat products that they purchase and to comply with a ruling by the World Trade Organization that the United States had acted inconsistently with its international trade obligations.”
Another district court received a motion from the United States Cattlemen’s Association, National Farmers Union, American Sheep Industry Association and Consumer Federation of America to intervene “in order to protect the interests of their members in the 2013 COOL regulations and to defend the legitimacy of the regulations.”
Their brief, filed Aug. 9, contends that the arguments to block implementation are “without legal or factual merit.”
