> "As you may know by now, the National Association of > Manufacturers (the NAM) > has issued a fact sheet in which it says it would > support amending the Fair > Labeling and Packaging Act to allow metric-only > labeling in the U.S. > > But their support of the amendment is contingent > upon the European Union's > cancellation of the 2009-12-31 deadline for that > country's metric-only > labeling requirements." > > ---Paul Trusten, R.Ph. > > When I read the first part of this I was elated, but > when I read the second > part, I went to "Red Alert". > > If the NAM is sincere in it's support of any > metrication, why place the > condition of support for it on removal of the EU > deadline?
Maybe it's because they're afraid that they won't get another extension by the EU. If NAM gets what they're asking for then the companies that don't want to manufacture metric labelled products won't have to do so. > The deadline is still over four years away. The NAM > (and others) have also > had the benefit of the EU extending it three times > already. In each case the > NAM has failed to make use of the borrowed time to > do it's part to effect > for metrication. Because by not doing anything then when the deadline approaches they simply come back and say that they're not ready. > I think that this is just a ploy to garner support > for pressuring the EU to > forgo it's own deadline. Which given the EU's track > record for sticking by > it's guns in this area, has a very real possibility > of happening. At which > point the NAM will continue in a business as usual > manner. Until the next deadline when they still wouldn't be ready. > With one possible > exception: Laughing up their sleeves at those > "metrication folk" who bought > their bill of goods; hook, line and sinker. > > The benefits of metrication to all segments of > society will be too great to > "bargain" over. Especially when the promise of this > deal looks to be so > self-serving. If you sit back and look at the deal, what benefit will the EU derive from it? They probably don't care that much if US goods can't be labelled in metric only, so why should the EU even want to change their deadline? > > It is my sincere hope that the USMA will see this > offer exactly for what it > is and not support this "deal".
