Posted May 20, 2015
The World
Trade Organization (WTO) has rejected a U.S. appeal of its
decision that country-of-origin labeling (COOL) on meat unfairly discriminates
against meat imports, according to a Food Safety News article available here.
Feedstuffs also published an article available here
and The Packer here.
The latest
U.S. labeling rules require meat sold in grocery stores to indicate the
country, or countries, where the animal was born, raised and slaughtered.
According
to a WTO
report, the labeling rules unfairly discriminate against meat imports and give
the advantage to domestic meat products. But the WTO compliance panel also
found that the labels do provide U.S. consumers with information on the origin
of their food, countering Canada and Mexico’s assertion that the labels do not
serve their intended purpose.
Canadian
cattle groups urged Canada to seek immediate permission from the WTO to impose
billions in retaliatory tariffs on a wide variety of U.S. exports to Canada,
according to The
Packer.
Produce
industry leaders said specialty crop exports to Canada and Mexico could be at
risk if Mexico puts in place retaliatory tariffs, but there is no indication
that mandatory COOL regulations for fresh fruits and vegetables will change.
A joint
statement from Ed Fast, minister of international trade, and Gerry Ritz,
minister of agriculture and agri-food, jointly with Ildefonso Guajardo
Villarreal, Mexico’s secretary of economy, and Enrique Martínez y Martínez, Mexico’s
secretary of agriculture, called on the United States to repeal the COOL
legislation, according to Feedstuffs.
“In light
of the WTO’s final decision, and due to the fact that this discriminatory
measure remains in place, our governments will be seeking authorization from
the WTO to take retaliatory measures against U.S. exports,” the statement
added. In a separate statement Fast and Ritz said in June 2013 Canada released
a proposed
list of targeted U.S. imports for retaliatory tariffs and they are now
preparing its request to retaliate.
National
Farmers Union President Roger Johnson also believes there’s still a future for
COOL on meat, according to Food
Safety News.
“As we have
seen in other disputes, once decisions are handed down, WTO members often work
together to find a solution that will work for them,” he said. “In this
case, such a solution must involve continuation of a meaningful
country-of-origin labeling requirement.”
Update: The House Agriculture Committee approved H.R. 2393, a bill that would repeal mandatory country of origin labeling requirements (COOL) for beef, pork, and chicken, while leaving intact the requirements for all other covered commodities, according to a Meating Place article available here.
Update: The House Agriculture Committee approved H.R. 2393, a bill that would repeal mandatory country of origin labeling requirements (COOL) for beef, pork, and chicken, while leaving intact the requirements for all other covered commodities, according to a Meating Place article available here.
The bill, which amends the
Agriculture Marketing Act of 1946, passed the committee by a vote of 38 to 6. A
combination of 68 Democrats and Republicans joined Chairman Michael Conaway
(R-Texas) in introducing this bipartisan bill.
“We must do all we can to avoid
retaliation by Canada and Mexico, and this bill accomplishes that through full
repeal of labeling requirements for beef, pork, and chicken,” said Conaway in a
statement. “We will continue working to get this to the House floor as quickly
as possible to ensure our economy and a vast range of U.S. industries and the men
and women who work for them do not suffer any economic implications of
retaliation.”
For more information on Country of Origin Labeling, please
visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
