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This story was first published on RealAgriculture.com on Sept. 4, 2026.
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Sept. 4 directing federal officials to explore options to move ahead with mandatory country-of-origin labeling (MCOOL) on beef products.
The order instructs U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins, in consultation with the U.S. Trade Representative, to review the government’s existing authorities over the next 90 days that could support mandatory labeling. Based on the review, Rollins could advance regulatory amendments or proposed legislative changes to Congress.
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The executive action comes as the White House attempts to soften backlash from cattle producers following the decision to allow 300,000 metric tonnes of imported lean beef trimmings into the U.S. Several American rancher groups have argued that if foreign beef imports are expanded to lower consumer prices, retail meat packaging should distinguish foreign product from domestic supply.
The push for mandatory labeling for beef has also received new life in Farm Bill negotiations after the Senate Agriculture Committee gave bipartisan support last month for an amendment to add MCOOL to its version of the proposed bill.
Previous mandatory labeling legislation was repealed in 2015 after Canada and Mexico successfully challenged the policy at the World Trade Organization (WTO), finding that it discriminated against foreign livestock and disrupted integrated cross-border supply chains.
The MCOOL review is one piece of a broader rancher-support order. The executive order on rancher support directs the Department of the Interior to look at delisting gray and Mexican wolves under the Endangered Species Act within 90 days.
A separate executive order signed by Trump on Friday targeted meatpacking consolidation, noting four major processors control 85 per cent of U.S. steer and heifer purchases. The directive aims to ramp up antitrust enforcement with the Department of Justice, cut regulatory burdens for small processors and expand state-inspected plants’ ability to sell meat across state lines.
American Farm Bureau president Zippy Duvall and R-CALF USA President Dave Hyde were among the farm group leaders and ranchers at the Oval Office for the signings. While R-CALF remains a staunch proponent of mandatory COOL, Duvall said afterward that Farm Bureau maintains its support for voluntary labeling “that conforms with COOL parameters and meets World Trade Organization requirements.”
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