mr. chairman , i thank the gentleman for yielding me this time . 
i agree with the statements made by my colleague from montana , and i thank him for the leadership he has shown on this issue . 
our amendment is very simple . 
it would allow country-of-origin labeling , better known as cool , which was approved by a majority of this house in the last farm bill , to go forward this next year . 
we have got to stop yet another backdoor attempt to halt country-of-origin food labeling rules . 
consumers deserve to know where their meat is produced and that it is safe , and farmers and ranchers deserve the fair deal provided by open and honest labeling . 
the gentleman from montana is up here today for the same reason i am . 
like me , he represents an agricultural district and country-of-origin labeling is something that our farmers want . 
that is why country-of-origin labeling enjoys such broad support in the agriculture community . 
our amendment is supported by the national farmers union and over 120 other organizations . 
over the last few days , i have received letters of encouragement from many oregon farmers thanking me for helping to bring this amendment forward . 
our farms grow the best produce and raise the best livestock in the world , and american consumers know this . 
studies have shown that americans want to buy american commodities and are even willing to pay a premium to do so . 
our nation 's farmers and ranchers produce the best and safest commodities in the world and consumers deserve the chance to know where their food is born , raised , and processed . 
country-of-origin labeling provides u.s. agriculture producers the opportunity to promote their excellent products . 
the labeling law does not violate international trade agreements , would not drastically increase producer and consumer costs , does not require third-party documentation for trace-back or disadvantage any commodity . 
thirty-five other countries require country-of-origin labeling , and cool has already gone into effect for fish and shellfish . 
labeling products is simply a promotional tool for u.s. producers and an information source for consumers . 
for these reasons , we had country-of-origin labeling provisions added to the last farm bill . 
country-of-origin labeling has been delayed for several years and has been studied to death . 
this provision in the agriculture appropriations bill continues that trend . 
country-of-origin labeling is good for american farmers and good for american consumers . 
i encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stand up for their constituents and vote for the rehberg/hooley amendment . 
