OKLAHOMA CITY – Attorney General Gentner Drummond has filed a brief this week supporting cattle ranchers against manufacturers who are selling foreign-sourced beef products under the “Product of USA” label.

“Ranchers in Oklahoma and across the United States put in tremendous effort to produce the world’s highest quality beef,” he said. “The ‘Product of USA’ label symbolizes the quality of American beef. Using such a label for foreignsourced beef is dishonest and just plain inaccurate.”

Drummond and 10 other state attorneys general argue in the amicus brief that the U.S. Department of Agriculture now acknowledges that use of the label for foreignsourced beef products conflicts with federal requirements. The coalition is asking the court to order manufacturers to stop falsely labeling foreign-sourced beef as a “Product of USA.”

The brief supports a lawsuit by South Dakota ranchers against manufacturers. A district court ruled in favor of the ranchers; the case is on appeal to the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

“Defendants’ marketing and sale of foreign beef products – whose only apparent connection with the USA is that some processing or packaging took place in the United States – is deceptive, anti-competitive and detrimental to consumers and the reputation of genuine, domestically produced beef products,” Drummond and the coalition of attorneys general wrote.

Also signing the brief are the attorneys general of South Dakota, Colorado, Kansas, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Texas and Wyoming.