Washington, DC—Today, US Senator Herb Kohl called on US Department of Agriculture to release the new labeling standard for grass-fed red meat under development by the Agriculture Marketing Service. In a letter to Secretary Johanns, Sen. Kohl noted that finalized standards would aid small and moderate sized farms selling in niche markets.

"These standards are the fruit of collaborative negotiations among a broad coalition of the agricultural community," said Kohl. "Producers and consumers will benefit from a clear understanding of what the label "grass fed" means."

In December of 2002, USDA's Livestock and Seed Program office published for public comment a set of thirteen label claims and production standards for red meat. Over tens of thousands farmers, ranchers and consumers from around the country responded to the USDA announcement by requesting a rewrite of four of the thirteen proposed standards. Those four claims pertained to grass fed, free range, antibiotics, and hormones. In response to the public comment, the Agricultural Marketing Service withdrew the four standards in question and then met with a diverse set of stakeholders who had invested in these growing markets. Release of the revised standards is the next formal step in the administrative rule-making process. It will allow the general public to review the results of these negotiations.

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