000763 USDA to Stop Stamping Imported MeatJuly 24, 2000Washington - Meat imported from other countries and inspected in the United States soon will no longer carry USDA grade stamps, USDSA announced. Currently, all meat inspected in the United States, regardless of where it is produced, gets a USDA stamp such as “prime,” “choice” or “select.” The USDA said it was changing the practice because of consumer confusion over origin of meat products. U.S. ranchers had sought the change, saying the USDA stamp serves as a form of advertising not meant for foreign meats. South Dakota's two Democratic senators, Minority Leader Tom Daschle and Tim Johnson, urged President Clinton to direct the USDA to make the change. “American livestock producers must pay millions of dollars annually to various check-off programs to promote their industries,” Daschle said. “Foreign producers are not required to pay into these funds, but still reap the benefits of increased demand for their products.” A rancher lobby organization applauded the decision, but pointed out that the planned action only affects carcasses, not live animals imported to the United States and later slaughtered. Leo McDonnell Jr., chairman of the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund in Columbus, Mont., said Mexico and Canada export about 2 million live cattle a year to the United States. His group contends that those cattle should not be allowed to receive the stamp. The USDA said the change will take place later this summer.
E-mail: sflanagan@sprintmail.com |
