WASHINGTON — A U.S. District Court denied a preliminary injunction for new country-of-origin labeling requirements sought by industry groups in a lawsuit filed in July.
The American Meat Institute, American Association of Meat Processors, Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, Canadian Pork Council, Confedaracion Nacional de Organizaciones Ganaderas, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Pork Producers Council, North American Meat Association and the Southwest Meat Association had sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture over a final COOL rule with requirements the groups deemed “onerous.”
The groups expressed disappointment with the court’s decision but said they plan to appeal the ruling.
Read more: Industry Groups Sue USDA Over Final COOL Rule
“We disagree strongly with the court’s decision and believe that several aspects of the ruling are susceptible to challenge,” AMI President and CEO J. Patrick Boyle said in a statement. “We intend to pursue them on appeal.”
“This decision will have real consequences and, at a time of rising meat prices and record low herd size, they will be damaging,” North American Meat Association CEO Barry Carpenter said in a statement. “In the absence of preliminary relief, NAMA members and the industry at large will suffer irreparable harm.”
In the lawsuit, the groups had argued the COOL rule violates the Constitution, goes beyond the intentions of the original mandate, and is arbitrary and capricious.
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