Canada has finally filed a request to the World Trade
Organization (WTO) to convene a compliance panel on the United States’
Country-of-Origin labeling (COOL) regulations.
What took so long?
The government has been saying for months that it would seek
WTO approval to retaliate against the U.S. by imposing tariffs on some of its
exports to Canada.
The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and the Canadian Pork
Council welcomed Canada’s announcement.
“Damage to the Canadian livestock industry has been horrendous,” the
pork council said in a news release.
“Since COOL was introduced in 2008, exports to the U.S. of Canadian hogs
have fallen by 41 per cent and exports of cattle by 46 per cent.
“Estimated total damages due to price declines, lost sales and added
costs to the Canadian livestock sector exceed $1 billion per year.
“We are already seeing evidence that the amended COOL regulations will
increase these damages,” the pork council said.
Canadians have joined with meat packers and some others in the United
States to file a court action seeking to block introduction of the amended COOL
regulations.
On the other side, a coalition of U.S. hog, cattle and sheep farmers and
the National Farmers Union there are taking the opposite side in the court
action.
