November 12, 2004

Biased producer groups want to force a mandatory Country-of-Origin labeling marketing (COOL) marketing program on an entire nation.�It�s time to let your legislators know exactly how you feel about the unnecessary costs and crippling financial burden of mandatory Country-of-Origin Labeling!

When Congress convenes next Tuesday, November 16, the Joint Appropriations Committee will package an Omnibus Appropriations Bill. Then the entire House and Senate will be called on to decide its fate, without amendment.�It is widely expected that COOL will be called to the mat during this �lame duck,� post-election, session and groups like R-CALF and National Farmers Union have already begun to sound off.

Contact your Senators and Ccongressmen to keep COOL marketing programs voluntary.

To assist you, NMA is providing potential text of a letter for your use.�Use this boilerplate to build your own lettercontact (click to download in Word format).

Locate the e-mail address and/or fax number of your elected representatives:

Senators
Representatives

If you have any questions, contact me at (510) 763-1533 or [email protected].

Take action!�There�s never been a better time to defeat mandatory COOL than right now.�Together we can do what none of us could do on our own.

[NMA Statement on COOL]

Senate members of �04 Agriculture Appropriations Conference:

Republicans:

Robert Bennett (UT) Chairman of Ag Appropriations Subcommittee
202-224-5444

Thad Cochran (MS)
202-224-5054

Arlen Specter (PA)
202-2247-4254

Christopher Bond (MO)
202-224-5721

Mitch McConnell (KY)
202-224-2541

Conrad Burns (MT)
202-224-2644

Larry Craig (ID)
202-224-2752

Sam Brownback (KS)
202-224-6521

Ted Stevens (AK) Chairman of Appropriations Committee
202-224-3004

Democrats:

Herb Kohl (WI) Ranking Minority Member of the Ag Appropriations Subcommittee
202-224-5653

Tom Harkin (IA)
202-224-3254

Byron Dorgan (ND)
202-224-2551

Dianne Feinstein (CA)
202-224-3841

Richard Durbin (IL)
202-224-2152

Tim Johnson (SD)
202-224-5842

Mary Landrieu (LA)
202-224-5824

Robert Byrd (WV) Ranking Minority Member of the Appropriations Committee
202-224-3954