Tuesday, the South Dakota House Agriculture Committee defeated a measure that would have created a mandatory country of origin meat labeling measure. The South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association opposed the bill. Executive Director Jodie Anderson says consumers don’t consider the country’s origin when they purchase beef.

She says neither producers nor consumers would have benefitted from the mandatory COOL legislation. She says there would have been added costs if the measure was approved.

Anderson says passage of HB 1228 would have also have hurt interstate commerce.

The Ag Committee voted 7 to 6 to send HB 1228 to the 41st legislative day, thus killing the bill.