Wyoming rancher and Powder River Basin Resource Council Board member, Wilma Tope, had this to say in reaction to the decision:

“As producers, we believe we have the right to have the country-of-origin displayed on meat we produce. We are proud of our product, and we have a long-held belief that a U. S. label stands for family tradition, quality, pride, and a safe and wholesome product.”
 
“In an increasingly global market, the labeling of our beef, as well as other products, will increase demand for U.S. products, which in turn will lead to increased production, more jobs and economic development in our small towns and main streets, and our entire national economy. Congress should not unconditionally surrender to the threats of tariff retaliation by our trading partners. This decision is a hard blow for American producers who take such pride in the meat we produce and is a good example of why trade agreements that give power to corporations over American citizens are contrary to American ideals.”

 
Mabel Dobbs, a rancher from Weiser, Idaho, issued the following statement on behalf of the Western Organization of Resource Councils.
 
“This WTO decision is exactly why so many people opposed NAFTA 22 years ago and oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership today. Consumers are demanding more information about where and how their food is produced, and farmers and ranchers strongly support the country-of-origin labeling. Why should the U.S. have to pay tariffs for requiring these simple labels?”
 
“It is time for Congress to represent and defend what American consumers and cattlemen overwhelmingly want and fought a decade to get by supporting COOL and reining in free trade agreements. Our elected representatives should refuse to weaken our domestic consumer right-to-know laws and reject the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which would further erode U.S. sovereignty and grant more rights to international corporations.”
 
The COOL case highlights how international trade deals and the WTO can overrule the will of American citizens and undermine U.S. sovereignty. The Obama administration is trying to push through two new trade deals with Asia and Europe using fast track authority. While the deals themselves may not invalidate U.S. laws, they establish trade tribunals that can be used to do so. By relinquishing constitutional authority to the WTO through secretive trade deals, it seems that America’s democratic ideals are being traded away.