WASHINGTON (DTN) -- Mandatory country-of-origin labeling (MCOOL) for beef secured a key victory during the Senate Agriculture Committee's farm bill markup, passing 17-6 in a bipartisan vote.

However, committee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., said completing a farm bill before the election would be a "miracle," adding that the path forward could become more difficult after November.

Boozman told reporters the committee could return from recess in September to continue discussions and hold additional hearings at his discretion.

The vote marked the first time the Senate has acted on beef MCOOL since the 2008 farm bill.

The bipartisan American Beef Labeling Act of 2025 would reinstate mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef by adding beef and ground beef back to federal country-of-origin labeling requirements under the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946. The legislation directs the U.S. Trade Representative and USDA to develop and implement a World Trade Organization-compliant labeling system within one year.

During the markup, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., who offered of the amendment, questioned why beef is not included under existing labeling requirements.

"We do label poultry, we label lamb, and we label fish," Thune said, arguing to advance the measure.

MCOOL is supported by the United States Cattlemen's Association and R-CALF USA but opposed by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, which supports the voluntary Product of USA label.

Jenna Stanton, USCA's director of policy, said the vote demonstrated industry support for mandatory labeling.

"This vote shows what producers on the ground have said for years -- there is support behind this in the industry. The bipartisan showing of Senators from across the country proves what is true: MCOOL is pro-producer and pro-consumer," she said in a statement.

All Senate Democrats voted in favor of the amendment. Republicans Sens. Mitch McConnell, Roger Marshall, Tommy Tuberville, Jim Justice, Jerry Moran and John Boozman voted against it. Republicans Thune, Deb Fischer, John Hoeven, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst joined Democrats in support, bringing the total vote to 17 senators in favor.

R-CALF USA said reinstating MCOOL would increase marketplace transparency by allowing consumers to identify beef born, raised and slaughtered in the United States while providing producers an opportunity to receive fair value for their cattle.

R-CALF's CEO Bill Bullard said in a statement today, "We ... recognize the thousands of independent cattle producers and consumers who have remained committed to this effort for many years."

OPPOSITION REMAINS

NCBA opposes mandatory COOL and instead supports the voluntary Product of USA label.

DTN reached out to NCBA for a comment Thursday afternoon regarding the key victory and potential labeling change; however, DTN didn't get a response yet before this story was posted.

In an interview with DTN in July, NCBA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane said MCOOL would increase costs throughout the beef supply chain and raise prices for consumers.

"There is not a more efficient way to increase the price consumers are paying at the grocery store than to saddle the supply chain with that compliance cost right now," he said in July.

Lane added then that NCBA believes the updated Product of USA label provides producers with marketing opportunities while ensuring products labeled as U.S. beef meet stricter origin requirements.

"This will open up a tremendous amount of opportunity," he said.

(See full July story: "Product of USA Label Gains Steam, But Divide Remains Over Mandatory Origin Rules," https://www.dtnpf.com/…)

With the support of all Democrats and a handful of additional Republicans on the Senate floor, MCOOL could potentially reach the 60-vote threshold needed for passage.

However, as long as the provision remains tied to the farm bill, its path forward will depend on the return of Mitch McConnell, efforts to resolve proxy voting disputes of absent members and movement on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) standoff.

The White House has shown a willingness to give ground on parts of its SNAP reforms, while Democrats continue pushing for a two-year extension before the state cost-share requirements take effect.

For more, see:

-- "Senate Farm Bill Markup Fails Committee Vote Over SNAP," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

-- American Beef Labeling Act of 2025 text, https://www.congress.gov/…

Jake Zajkowski can be reached at jake.zajkowski@dtn.com

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