Meat on display at the Safeway grocery store in Bozeman, Feb. 17, 2021.
Farm and ranching groups want people to buy more Montana beef, but they’re split on whether proposed state level legislation would do that.
In the meat section at grocery stores, meat products like spare ribs often bear stickers: “Product of USA.”
Many ranchers say this label is misleading consumers. That’s because imported beef and pork processed and re-packaged in the US can get this label, as can the meat from livestock born in other countries and then sent to US feedlots or slaughterhouses.
Rachel Cramer
A Product of USA label on spare ribs at the Safeway grocery store in Bozeman on Feb. 17, 2021.
Consumers have the right to know the origin of their beef purchases, and ranchers have the right to a fair and competitive market. This is a reasonable expectation. However, since 2015 Congress specifically exempted beef and pork from labeling laws. Consumers do not know where their beef comes from, and ranchers do not have fair prices.
If you are a consumer learning of this for the first time, you might be incredulous. The last time you purchased beef from the supermarket, the labels clearly stated âUSDA Gradedâ and âProduct of the USA.â Sadly, those labels are meaningless. The USDA label does not mean that the meat actually came from this country. Beef or pork imported from any other country can legally have a label stating âProduct of the USAâ simply if it is re-packaged for retail within our borders.
Montana Ag Network: Farmers Union lobbying for right to repair legislation ktvq.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ktvq.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Will 2021 prove to be the year that several states finally adopt a right to repair?
Last year witnessed monumental progress for right to repair, including the expansion of an existing Massachusetts law that requires car makers to provide independent mechanics access to the same diagnostic tools used in dealerships. A federal right to repair law was also considered for the first time in US history.
2021 is expected to take the effort to an entirely new level.
This 14 number understates state interest. In 2019, 20 states mulled such initiatives – to no avail (see this 2019 post, which included a map of states then considering adopting some form of a digital right to repair, Nebraska Farmers Lead on Right to Repair). And according to Food Tank, nearly three dozen states have considered right to repair legislation, in Farmers Fight For Right To Repair Their Own Equipment.
Pass Country of Origin Labeling in Montana helenair.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from helenair.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.