Foodmakers and grocers will not have to put country-of-origin labels on packages of red meat until late 2008, Congress decided on Thursday, a two-year delay that may presage the death of the labelling law.
Senators approved the delay as part of passing, 81-18, a $100.1 billion annual funding bill for the US Agriculture Department and related agencies for fiscal 2006. The bill now goes to President (George W.) Bush, who is expected to sign it.
It was the second time Congress delayed implementation of mandatory labels for meat. Seafood labelling began last spring.
The food industry wants Congress to replace the mandatory labelling law, passed in 2002, with a voluntary label plan. The largest US cattle and hog groups also want repeal.
Consumer groups and ranch activists see country-of-origin labels as a way to distinguish US-grown food from foreign competitors on the grocery shelf.
Foes say it would be a costly, record-keeping nightmare to track the origin of every piece of beef, pork and mutton. The label law does not cover meat sold at restaurants or poultry.
"They just want to kill it altogether in the next farm bill," said Iowa Democrat Tom Harkin, referring to the upcoming 2007 update of farm policy. South Dakota Republican John Thune said, "The special interests have won out today."
But Texas Republican John Cornyn said cattle feeders in his state worried that meatpackers would offer lower prices for livestock to offset the cost of complying with the label law.