(NAFB.com) – South Dakota Senator and Senate Majority Leader John Thune and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker reintroduced bipartisan legislation that would reinstate mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef. The American Beef Labeling Act would require the U.S. Trade Representative, in consultation with the USDA, to develop a World Trade Organization-compliant means of reinstating MCOOL for beef within one year of passage. Thune, a longtime supporter of MCOOL, said ranchers work tirelessly to produce some of the highest quality beef in the world, and they deserve a fair labeling system that provides consumers with basic information about the origin of their beef. Booker said, “For too long, the big meatpackers have been misleading people with deceptive labeling. More transparency will enable consumers to support local family farmers and ranchers.” The bill says the USTR would have six months to develop a reinstatement plan, followed by a six-month window to implement it.