WASHINGTON (July 26, 2017)
– National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) CEO Kendal Frazier today
testified on Capitol Hill in support of the North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA) and warned Congress against using the treaty’s renegotiation to
resurrect failed policies like mandatory Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL.)

“Quite frankly, it is difficult to improve upon duty-free,
unlimited access to Canada and Mexico, and we are pleased to see the Office of
the U.S. Trade Representative announce its support for continued reciprocal
duty-free access,” Frazier told members of the U.S. House Committee on
Agriculture. “Even still, our message remains the same: please do no harm and
do not jeopardize our access.”

Frazier pointed out that
on average, Canada and Mexico have been two of America’s top five export
markets for beef, with approximately $1 billion each in annual sales. While
spotlighting the benefits that NAFTA has delivered for cattle and beef
producers, Frazier also discussed the ways in which mandatory Country-of-Origin
Labeling hurt producers when it was tried previously.

“COOL was U.S. law for over six years and failed to deliver on its
promises to build consumer confidence and add value for our producers,” Frazier
pointed out. “Instead, COOL resulted in a long battle in the World Trade
Organization - with the United States facing the promise of more than $1
billion dollars in retaliatory tariffs from Mexico and Canada unless COOL was
repealed. Canada and Mexico still have the authority to retaliate against the
United States if COOL is brought back into effect – and rest assured they will
retaliate against us if necessary.”

“We must learn from the
mistakes of the past and not repeat them,” Frazier concluded. “We encourage you
to build on the success that current NAFTA provisions have given U.S. beef
producers.”