You may never know where your meat comes from...

In the latest from the category of "Good luck, suckers".... does everyone know this is going on? The WTO decided that our "country of origin" meat labeling requirements are discriminatory. They they want to get rid of them. Apparently we are going along with it.

I love you, little food independence meats!

Let that sink in. Every tshirt you purchase has to say where it is from - as does seafood. And you really want to know where your dog treats come from....but meat? Nope. Could all be a big surprise.

What gives? Canada and Mexico are in a snit because they think US consumers may not want "grown in Canada" meat. Add to that the meat packers have to implement costly record keeping and processing changes to keep the Mexican pork away from grown in Iowa chops.... so someone decided just to get rid of the country of origin labeling.

They are trying to make this out as a marketing issue but isn't it a food safety issue? Don't you as the consumer want to know - and don't you deserve to know - where your food comes from?

Think about it - just about every carrot needs to be bar coded (everyone remembers the new "food safety regs, right?) but meat? Nah... we'll just trust you. I'm sure everything will be fine.

*OFG runs outside and hugs her meat chickens to her bosom.*

I hate to take the wind out of Mexico and Canada's sails... but sorry neighbors, we aren't worried about your products.

Did everyone just forget that a Chinese company purchased Smithfield - the US largest pork producers?

Are we just ignoring the fact that the USDA gave the go ahead for chicken to be processed in China?

Food safety-smood safety. I'm sure this will  all work out just fine....right?

If you really want to put your tin foil hat on... then draw some dots on over to the avian flu...which just came out of no where..... they still don't know how it got started or how it is being spread around. 

OK maybe that is going to far but honestly. We are the most advanced country in the world and we can barely get our food production right. Why the heck are we just going to hand our food production over to anyone else?

Of course if you are concerned you can always purchase your meat locally... unless a neighbor gets a bee in their bonnet and calls the authorities on your farmer because they don't have a heated barn. That guy still doesn't have his horses or dogs back...and he still has to go back to court.

The whole thing just burns my biscuits. Food security, that is keeping food production in this country, is an extremely important issue. If you are not invested in this discussion, now is the time to get involved.

Friends, don't just go along with this kind of malarkey.  Consumer Reports has a link to voice your concerns.  There is a feedback form here.

Here are a few more articles:

New York Daily News

AP news

Star Tribune/Valley News

Usually non-farm friends look at you like you are out of your mind when you start to talk about how "they" are trying to control food production and are trying to take food production out of your backyard. But I don't know - this kind of news, I hope, will make folks think about their food and where it comes from. It all just sounds like funny business.

I don't know about you but I'll be working on getting set up for pigz.. and ordering another round of meat chickens.

Happy Monday everyone... and good luck, suckers.