Country Of Origin Labeling (COOL)
What is COOL?
The COOL (Country of Origin Labeling) law was put into effect for fish and shellfish on April 4, 2005. The final rule for all of the other covered commodities took effect on September 30, 2008.
This new requirement is not meant to be burdensome for producers to follow, but buyers of livestock projects (i.e. 4-H’ers or packers) will be asking for more information than in the past.
What Commodities Are Required?
Covered commodities included in this rulemaking are muscle cuts of beef(including veal), lamb, chicken, goat, and pork; ground beef, ground lamb, ground chicken, ground goat, and ground pork; perishable agricultural commodities (fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables); macadamia nuts; pecans; ginseng; and peanuts. For 4-H’ers, this would include the following species: beef, meat goat, poultry, sheep, and swine, but also animals that may not be harvested until a much later time (for example, cull dairy cows or cull dairy goats).
Two Main Categories of Livestock
4-H animals will mainly fit into one of the following categories:
Type A: Product of the US: born, raised, and harvested in the U.S. or animals that have been continuously in the U. S. since on or before July 15, 2008.
Type B: Product of the United States, Country X, and/or (as applicable) Country Y where
Country X and Country Y represent the actual or possible countries of foreign origin.
For example, animals born in Canada and fed and harvested in the U.S.
What 4-H’ers Need to Do
Ask for Documentation – 4-H’ers need to make sure they collect documentation from the seller when purchasing livestock projects. Documentation could include the following:
- Signed affidavit from seller of livestock (an example can be found at, /4H/Agriculture/index.htm, under “Livestock ID”)
- See other examples in the table below
v Keep documentation for 2 years minimum – 4-H’ers must keep the appropriate documentation for a minimum of two years in the case of a USDA audit.
Examples of Documentation to Keep for Two Years Minimum
Buyers of livestock
· Signed affidavit from seller of livestock
· Bill of sale
· Health papers
· Brand inspection
· Supporting documents identified by USDA[1]
Original producers of livestock
· Birth records (calving book, PigChamp, PigTales, etc)
· Inventory records that reconcile
· Purchase and sales receipts
· Supporting documents identified by USDA1
[1] Balance sheet, income statement, other financial records, Scale tickets and purchase and sales receipts, Closeout records and/or feed records or bills, Health papers, vaccination or other health treatment records or receipts, Shipping records, Farrowing, Calving, or Lambing records, Breed association registered pedigrees.
What County Extension Offices Need To Do
County Fair
v County Extension Offices are encouraged to have 4-H’ers sign the Animal Care and Disclosure Statement for their particular species at county weigh-ins or when 4-H’ers bring in ID forms. COOL verbiage has been added to each of these forms and they can be found at, /4H/Agriculture/resources.htm.
v Counties will then need to provide either a specific affidavit from the packer/buyer who purchases their county fair animals or fill out the sample affidavit located at, /4H/Agriculture/index.htm, under “Livestock ID”)
v If a USDA audit were to occur, counties would have sufficient documentation from both the 4-H’er and themselves to provide by keeping these documents for two years.
State Fair
v All State Fair participants exhibiting the affected species of livestock will continue to fill out and sign the Animal Care and Disclosure Statements with the new COOL verbiage added.
v The State 4-H Office will maintain these statements for two years along with a signed packer affidavit when State Fair animals are harvested.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How are animals born on or before July 15, 2008 covered?
A. Animals who can be proven to be resident in the U.S., regardless of original country of origin, on or before July 15, 2008 and remain in the U.S. are considered by rule to be from the USA. For example, a 4-H’er purchased a breeding heifer in November 2007. The 4-H’er would need to keep current proof on record that this animal is still in the U.S. (i.e. calving report, vet records, etc.)
Q. What about breeding animals?
A. Breeding animals would also be required to have documentation from the seller on their origin. Breeding heifers, breeding sheep and breeding swine all eventually go to harvest at some point in time even if it’s not for several years. Cull dairy cattle would also be required to have appropriate documentation.
Q. What about 4-H’ers raising their own animals?
A. 4-H’ers raising their own animals would need to keep the appropriate documentation (examples listed in the table above).
Q. Is COOL different than Premise ID?
A. COOL is a completely separate program from Premise ID. COOL is mandatory, and Premise ID is optional, yet highly recommended.
For Additional Information:
4-H Ag/Livestock website: /4H/Agriculture/index.htm
Iowa Beef Center website: http://www.iowabeefcenter.org/
USDA website http://www.ams.usda.gov/cool
A special thanks to the Iowa COOL Coalition representing the Iowa Farm Bureau, Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, Iowa Pork Producers Association, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and the Iowa Pork Industry Center and Iowa Beef Center for their development of information and resources to this document.
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11/2/2009