AMS Proposes to Extend COOL Requirements to Venison

The Agricultural Marketing Service is proposing to subject muscle cuts of venison and ground venison to country of origin labeling (COOL) requirements, it said (here). The agency’s proposed rule would add venison and ground venison to the list of products covered by the COOL regulation, which currently includes lamb, chicken and goat, each in both muscle cut and ground forms. If the rule is finalized, “[r]etailers and suppliers would subsequently be required to keep records and provide their customers notification of the country of origin of muscle cuts and ground venison that they sell,” AMS said. “Individuals that supply venison, whether directly to retailers or indirectly through other participants in the marketing chain, would be required to establish and maintain country of origin information for venison and supply this information to retailers. As a result, producers, handlers, manufacturers, wholesalers, importers, and retailers of venison would be affected,” it said. AMS repealed COOL requirements for pork and beef in March 2016 after the World Trade Organization ruled the regulations violated WTO rules (see 1603020019 and 1505180018).