- On October 24, 2025, a bipartisan group of representatives introduced the “Country of Origin Labeling Enforcement Act of 2025,” which would reinstate mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) requirements for beef (H.R. 5818) by amending the country-of-origin provisions in the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (codified at 7 USC 1638 – 1638d).
- The only meat products to which the mandatory COOL requirements currently apply are lamb, chicken, and goat, the implementing regulations for which are found at 7 CFR part 65 (a proposed rule to add these requirements for venison has not yet been finalized).
- Mandatory COOL for beef (and pork) was repealed by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026 (H.R. 2029) following World Trade Organization (WTO) rulings which found that U.S. mandatory COOL requirements for beef and pork violated U.S. international trade obligations. See 81 Fed Reg. 10755 (Mar. 2, 2016) for the rule repealing these requirements. However, the proposed bill expressly states that no ruling by the WTO or other international organization of which the U.S. is a member may be construed to limit its implementation. The bill comes as President Trump has proposed quadrupling the import of low-tariff Argentinian beef in an effort to curb beef prices.
