The recent defeat of a proposed amendment to the 2002 US Farm Bill, which would have restored mandatory rules for country of origin meat labelling, has caused lobby group Public Citizen to lash out.

According to Wenonah Hauter, director of Public Citizen's Mass Energy and Environment Program, the decision, "did a disservice to consumers as well as American farmers and ranchers.

"The vote perpetuates the stranglehold big agribusiness has on our food supply, by delaying government rules to require country of origin labeling of meat, which could give ranchers and farmers a desperately needed way to identify their crops and livestock as products of the United States. Despite practical suggestions from small farmers and ranchers for streamlining the COOL process, the USDA instead has been taking its lead from big agribusiness, which doesn't want consumers to know where food comes from, " Hauter said.

In her statement Hauter went on to point out how the implementation of country of origin meat labelling had been distorted by the USDA's over inflating cost estimates for the implementation of the programme, which had put the public off the idea.

Hauter also pointed out how the recent Canadian BSE (Mad Cow disease) case had been a reminder of the lack of information available to consumers concerned about where their food comes from.

"Without country of origin labelling, consumers have no way to differentiate between foreign and domestic beef, limiting any benefit that might come from assurances that the United States is BSE-free. In light of this latest international food safety scare, Congress should urge the USDA to act swiftly to implement COOL, not kill the programme by removing its funding," Hauter said.