WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration will review controversial agriculture department regulations that the Bush administration issued in its the last weeks in office, including the mandatory country-of-origin labeling rule for certain agricultural products and certain conservation programs, an ag department civil servant spokesman said Jan. 21.
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel issued a memo shortly after President Obama was sworn in at noon on Jan. 20 that that all rules that had not been published in the Federal Register before Obama took office would be withdrawn for review and that all rules that already had been published would be reviewed if they had not taken effect.
Labeling rule
The agriculture country-of-origin labeling rule, which affects red meats, poultry, fresh fruits and vegetables and some other products, was published the week before the Bush administration ended, but it was not scheduled to take effect until March 16. The USDA spokesman said the agency would proceed with regulations for implementation, but that those regulations could change if the Obama administration decided not to change the administration plan.
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association, which opposed the labeling law when it was included in the 2002 and 2008 farm bills, had said it was pleased the Bush administration published the rule because the industry needed certainty. But the National Farmers Union, which campaigned for labeling, has said the Bush rule made it too easy for suppliers to mix meat from the United States with meat from Canada and Mexico, and had urged the Bush administration to leave the job of implementation to the incoming Obama administration. R-CALF United Stockgrowers of America and U.S. Cattlemen, two pro-labeling groups, on Jan. 20 urged the new administration and Congress to review the Bush rule.
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Environmental programs
Bush administration regulations for the environmental quality incentives group, the grasslands and wetlands reserve programs, the farm and ranchland protection program and other conservation programs also were issued in the last days of the Bush administration and will be subject to review, a USDA spokesman said. Some U.S. Forest Service rules, including those that affect the construction of roads in forests, are likely to be reviewed, but the Forest Service has not yet published a list of rules subject to review, a Forest Service spokeswoman said.
