Sen. Fischer talks COOL with Ag Sec nominee Tom Vilsack

Senator Deb Fischer says that she is looking forward to working with incoming Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

The Nebraska Senator recently discussed country of origin labeling with him and believes that USDA has the tools to market U.S. ag products without mandatory labels.

“I am pushing him and really, really want to work with him so that we can market our product better, and so that we can have a label on there letting consumers know that this is beef that was hopefully born, raised, and processed here in the United States of America,” the Senator states.

She says that MCOOL is an uphill battle and could have implications for trade. The issue has been a problem in the past and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Organization suggests it being a market drive, voluntary program, rather than government run.