mr. chairman , i thank the gentleman for yielding me this time . 
i hear a lot of talk about voluntary , but we have no mandatory right to recall tainted products . 
we have voluntary labeling of drugs , which can hurt people . 
we have voluntary marketing studies after a drug has been brought to market . 
when are we going to do something that makes sure that we are protecting people 's interests ? 
country-of-origin labeling is about providing people the information they need to make an informed choice to protect the safety of their families . 
thirty-five other countries that we trade with , including canada , mexico , members of the european union , have country-of-origin labeling . 
seven out of ten people say they are willing to pay more to know where their food is coming from . 
food imports are increasing . 
the number of inspections of imported meat is actually decreasing . 
consumers have a right to know , given the fact that we continue to have major recalls of meat products . 
this year we have had over 30 recalls . 
this effort is about being able to trace back contaminated product in the event of a recall . 
knowing the source of an outbreak is a critical part of the process so that we can quickly take action to prevent people from getting sick . 
it is critically important considering the 76 million sicknesses , 5 , 000 deaths that occur every year from food-borne illness . 
some say that if we halt the implementation of the country-of-origin labeling for meat , it will allow more time to consider the impact on the food industry . 
congress has given the usda more than 2 years to design a program that is fair to all parties including industry and consumers . 
country-of-origin labeling will not violate trade agreements , lead to retaliation . 
it will not bankrupt the food industry . 
it simply says to consumers they will know where their food comes from . 
we owe the american people that . 
i urge my colleagues to support the rehberg-hooley amendment . 
