COOL (Country of Origin) Forms & Information

As directed by the 2002 Farm Bill, mandatory country-of-origin labeling will be implemented on September 30, 2008.

DOWNLOAD the COOL (Country of Origin) Sellers Affidavit HERE.

All livestock sold must be accompanied by an affidavit, stating the origin of the cattle. Only the individual with firsthand” knowledge of the origin of the livestock being transferred may sign a "Continuous Country of Origin Affidavit” or “Origin Declaration”. An affidavit signed by the owner/manager or other responsible person with firsthand knowledge can be delivered by a trucker or transporter but truckers and transporters cannot sign for the origin of livestock.

Country of Origin Affidavit/Declaration
Frequently Asked Questions

1) What do producers/sellers need to do to move country of origin information along the livestock chain of custody in order to implement the Country of Origin Labeling (COOL law)?
LMA recommends that livestock markets get a signed “Continuous Country of Origin Affidavit” from all sellers declaring the origin of the livestock that they sell through the facility. Markets should have a signed affidavit from sellers before their livestock is sold.


2) Who can sign an Origin Affidavit/Declaration?
Only the individual with firsthand” knowledge of the origin of the livestock being transferred may sign a "Continuous Country of Origin Affidavit” or “Origin Declaration”. An affidavit signed by the owner/manager or other responsible person with firsthand knowledge can be delivered by a trucker or transporter but truckers and transporters cannot sign for the origin of livestock.

3) How often do sellers need to provide a signed affidavit from my sellers?
If the livestock market has collected a “Continuous Country of Origin Affidavit” from the sellers, that affidavit is kept on file at the marketing business and remains in effect until that seller informs you of any changes to the origin of his/her livestock and revokes that affidavit in writing. (Origin declarations should be kept on file at the marketing business for at least one year from the time of sale.)

4) What if the seller is not willing to sign the affidavit?
Refusal is not an option. It is important for sellers to understand that Country of Origin Labeling is Federal law. Any seller who wishes to send livestock into commerce must declare the origin of his/her livestock either through these affidavits/declarations of origin or by individually identifying the livestock with an NAIS compliant eartag.

5) There is livestock at the sale barn and there is no origin declaration on file and the seller is unavailable to sign one at the time of sale? What do I do?
In these instances salebarns must make best effort to collect a signed affidavit/declaration as soon as possible. They should attempt collection of a signed affidavit/declaration by fax, email, overnight mail or delivery from the seller or other responsible person with firsthand knowledge of the origin of the livestock being transferred.

6) What information do salebarns provide buyers?
Livestock sellers will provide buyers with an “Origin Declaration” on the livestock covered by that specific transaction, which is based on the country of origin information provided by your sellers’ origin affidavits/declarations. This “Origin Declaration” may be stamped, printed or otherwise attached to your sales documents, invoices, etc. The origin of the animals must be identified in the space provided and the declaration signed and dated by the owner, operator, manager or representative of the market.

For a printable version of these Frequently Asked Questions, click HERE.

For more information, please call Billy at 940-541-2222.