R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard: Time to Bring Back Country of Origin Labeling for Beef

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Consumers could be critical on two fronts for American cattle ranchers, Bill Bullard believes: they can choose American beef over the imports, and they can insist that beef packaging includes on the label the country where the beef originated.

Bullard is the CEO of R-CALF USA, cattle producers’ national lobbying association. He told American Farmland Owner from his office in Billings, Montana, that the Trump administration idea to increase beef imports from Argentina underscores the importance of reviving another effort for cattle producers to make sure consumers know where their beef choice originates.

“We already import about 20,000 metric tons of beef from Argentina,” Bullard explained. “What they’re proposing is to quadruple that. That would yet be a small percentage. However, when you add that additional beef to the excessive volume of imports already entering this country… we imported 6.3 billion pounds of beef last year.”

Bill Bullard bio:

• R-CALF USA – CEO

• Former cow/calf rancher – Perkins County, South Dakota

• South Dakota Public Utilities Commission – Former Executive Director

Bullard warned that such “excessive, cheaper, undifferentiated imports” are “eliminating opportunities for our producers, reducing their profitability,” and that these pressures must be “addressed one step at a time.”

One immediate measure, he said, is the use of tariffs and tariff-rate quotas to balance the economic vitality of American cattle ranchers.

“We have to impose tariffs in order to level the playing field, so our domestic producers are not competing with producers in foreign countries that don’t have to meet our same standards,” he said.

These countries often benefit from weaker currencies and lower production costs, undermining U.S. ranchers, Bullard believes.

But for Bullard and R-CALF USA, tariffs are only part of the solution. The central reform, he argues, is reinstating mandatory country of origin labeling for beef, an issue that has divided producers, packers, and policymakers in different countries for more than two decades.

Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling History

Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) first became law in the United States in 2002 after what Bullard called “a huge battle that we joined with consumers.”

However, he said implementation was delayed until 2009. “Domestic meatpackers that are actually global meatpackers headquartered in the United States and their allied organizations fought tooth and nail to prevent the implementation,” Bullard lamented.

When COOL finally went into effect, it was incomplete. Labels could read “Product of U.S., Canada, and Mexico,” which did little to inform consumers because of the complexities.

In 2013, USDA issued a new rule requiring that meat products sold at retail identify where animals were “born, raised, and slaughtered.” Bullard said this gave consumers accurate information until international pressure forced a reversal.

“Canada and Mexico filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization alleging that our law was discriminating against their live cattle imports,” Bullard recalled.

The WTO sided with them and threatened retaliatory tariffs unless the U.S. repealed the law. “As a result, Congress caved,” Bullard said. “They repealed country of origin labeling for beef at the end of 2015… and the effect was devastating.”

COOL Repealed

That repeal created what Bullard called “a greater deception for consumers.” Under USDA policy, imported beef could legally be relabeled as “Product of USA” simply by being repackaged in a domestic plant.

“Consumers would look at that label and say, it must be produced by American cattle ranchers, when in fact it was beef that was sourced from, perhaps, any one of those 20 different countries,” he said.

Bullard insists that Congress must restore COOL for beef so consumers can make informed choices and producers can benefit from market signals.

“We believe consumers deserve to know from what country their beef is produced in,” Bullard emphasized. “The only way that’s going to happen is if Congress passes a law to reinstate beef into our current mandatory Country of Origin Labeling law that presently addresses fish, shellfish, lamb, chicken, fruits, and vegetables.”

According to Bullard, the United States is now “one of the last developed nations not to inform their consumers as to where the beef they’re buying was born, raised, and slaughtered.”

COOL Could Strengthen National Security, Cattle Industry Leader Says

For Bullard, the argument extends beyond consumer transparence; it’s about national security and the survival of the domestic beef industry.

“Back in 1980, about 10 percent of the beef consumed in America was imported. Now that figure is upwards of 22 percent,” Bullard said, “We’ve more than doubled our dependence on foreign countries for our beef.”

He argues that a reinstated COOL law would allow U.S. ranchers to compete fairly and rebuild the nation’s cattle herd. “If we had country of origin labeling, I think we would see a difference in pricing,” he said.

Imported product might sell cheaper, but “consumers could choose if they would rather purchase beef produced under a foreign food safety regime at a lesser cost,” Bullard said, “…or if they would rather support our domestic supply chain, so that we can achieve our national security interests of being self-reliant.”

New Optimism for COOL

Despite years of setbacks, Bullard believes the tide may be turning. “The opportunity we have today is unlike any we’ve had in the past,” he said. “We have never seen such an intense focus on the U.S. cattle industry and the beef supply chain as we see today.”

He added, “With the administration and Congress both seeking solutions to rebuild the herd and ensure self-reliance, this is the time to propose reforms like mandatory Country of Origin Labeling, tariffs, and the enforcement of antitrust laws.”

For Bullard, it is about transparency and opportunity. “Consumers deserve the truth. And our producers deserve a fair chance to compete,” he said.