The almighty United States has once again been judged guilty of harassing Canadian livestock producers by breaking the rules of trade treaties it has signed.
The World Trade Organization ruled today that the U.S. broke its world trade rules by imposing requirements on Canadian cattle and hogs that it does not require for its own producers.
What remains to be seen is whether, when and how the U.S. will change its Country of Origin Labelling (COOL) requirements so Canadians are restored to a level playing field in the U.S. market.
In previous trade actions, the U.S. has imposed countervailing duties that were subsequently ruled out of bounds.
In all of these cases, it takes so long to get a ruling that the damage has been done, including bankruptcies for Canadian farmers.
It's not fair. And it's darn frustrating. And there are no realistic remedies available.
