A bill in the Colorado legislature would require that raw beef sold in the state be identified as either “USA Beef” or “Imported Beef,” says Drovers. The sponsor of the House version of the legislation — there’s a companion bill in the Senate — says it would boost cattle prices in Colorado.
Some Colorado retailers already sell beef that is verified as U.S.-grown, says Rep. Kimmi Lewis, the House sponsor. The legislation, whose Senate sponsor is Sen. Vicki Marble, would require retailers to post a sign that identifies the origin of beef on sale. To be listed as U.S. beef, the meat would have to come from cattle born, raised, and slaughtered in the country. All other beef would be considered imported, and the label would have to list the countries where the animal was born, raised, and slaughtered.
Congress repealed a country-of-origin labeling law for beef in 2015 to avert countervailing duties on U.S. goods in Canada and Mexico, winners of a World Trade Organization ruling against the U.S. law. The WTO said the labeling law was a trade barrier in disguise that unfairly reduced cross-border trade in livestock and meat.