H.R. 5081 – Reading Mode

118th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 5081

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

July 28, 2023

Ms. Hageman (for herself, Mr. Gosar, Mr. Williams of New York, Mrs. Boebert, and Mr. Blumenauer) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

A BILL

To amend the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to prohibit retailers from designating the United States as the country of origin of foreign beef, and for other purposes.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Country of Origin Labeling Enforcement Act of 2023.

Country of origin labeling for beef

(a)

Definitions

Section 281 of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1638) is amended—

(1)

by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (7) as paragraphs (2) through (8), respectively;

(2)

by inserting before paragraph (2) (as so redesignated) the following:

(1)

Beef

The term beef means meat produced from cattle (including veal).

;

(3)

in paragraph (2)(A)(i) (as so redesignated), by striking lamb and venison and inserting beef, lamb, and venison; and

(4)

in paragraph (2)(A)(ii) (as so redesignated), by striking ground lamb and ground venison and inserting ground beef, ground lamb, and ground venison.

(b)

Notice of country of origin

Section 282(a) of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1638a(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:

(5)

Designation of country of origin for beef

A retailer of a covered commodity that is beef may designate the covered commodity as exclusively having a United States country of origin only if the covered commodity is derived from an animal that was exclusively born, raised, slaughtered, and packaged in the United States.

(c)

Enforcement

Section 283(b) of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1638b(b)) is amended by striking $1,000 for each violation and inserting $1,000 for each violation (or in the case of a covered commodity that is beef, $5,000 for each pound of beef not in compliance with the requirements of section 282).

(d)

Rule of construction

No ruling by the World Trade Organization or by any other international organization of which the United States is a member that is established before, on, or after the date of enactment of this Act may be construed to limit, alter, or affect the authority of the Secretary of Agriculture to require country of origin labeling in accordance with the amendments made by this section.

Report on false labeling of foreign beef as originating in the United States

(a)

In general

Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall submit to Congress a report on the false labeling of foreign beef as originating in the United States.

(b)

Elements

The report referred to in subsection (a) shall include the following:

(1)

An assessment of how much beef was sold in the United States during the 10-year period beginning on January 1, 2013, that was falsely labeled as having a country of origin of the United States.

(2)

With respect to the 10-year period beginning on January 1, 2013, an assessment of—

(A)

which packers falsely labeled beef as originating in the United States; and

(B)

in the case of beef so falsely labeled, the correct country of origin.

(3)

An assessment of the extent of economic losses sustained by United States ranchers during the 10-year period beginning on January 1, 2013, because consumers unknowingly purchased beef with a foreign country of origin under the assumption that such beef originated in the United States.

(c)

False labeling defined

In this section, the terms false labeling and falsely labeled mean, with respect to the labeling of beef, labeling such beef as exclusively having a United States country of origin in a manner that does not meet the criteria specified in paragraph (5) of section 282(a) of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1638a(a)) (as added by section 2(b) of this Act).