H.R. 2393 (114^th): Country of Origin Labeling Amendments Act of 2015

The Country of Origin Labeling Amendments Act of 2015 would repeal the requirement for meat products to be labeled with their country of origin. Currently meat products must include information on where the animal was bred, raised, and slaughtered. The Canadian government filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) to remove the labeling as a violation of trade agreements. The WTO approved the Canadian complaint on the grounds that the United States labeling policy discriminates against meat products from border countries. The bill passed the House with a vote of 300-131. Only 10 Republicans voted nay while 66 Democrats voted yea. The bill will move on to the Senate.

The summary below was written by the Congressional Research Service, which is a nonpartisan division of the Library of Congress, and was published on Jun 10, 2015.

(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the House on May 29. 2015. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Country of Origin Labeling Amendments Act of 2015

(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to repeal country of origin labeling requirements for beef, pork, and chicken. Country of origin labeling requirements are administered by the Department of Agriculture and require a retailer to inform consumers of the country of origin of a covered commodity.