U.S. poised to replace COOL with tougher meat labeling laws
Canada, Mexico waiting to see if the U.S. will trigger a meat war
By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com
The U.S. is expected to introduce stricter labeling rules on meat exports on Thursday, which will likely spark ongoing heated trade tensions between Canada and Mexico. Washington officials say the new regulations are intended to comply with a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling that found the U.S. country-of-origin (COOL) labeling law on meat to violate trade commitments.
The current meat labeling law requires retail outlets to feature a country of origin label on meat, which they say was an effort to provide domestic consumers with more information on where their food comes from. The law was created March, 2009 – with Canada and Mexico making the case that the rules discriminated against imported livestock, taking up their dispute with the WTO. The WTO sided with Canada and Mexico – the U.S. submitted an appeal to the order, which was struck down in June 2012.
Canadian and Mexican officials say that the U.S. proposed rules would exacerbate the issue further for cattle and hog exports. The Canadian government has warned the U.S. that they may sanction a strike against certain U.S. imports if they don’t comply with the WTO ruling. Mexico’s Agriculture Minister says the U.S. isn’t respecting the WTO ruling, noting that it’s an arbitrary decision that discriminates against Mexican beef. Despite Canada and Mexico’s concerns over the soon-to-be new meat labelling law, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says they are confident that its final changes will meet WTO expectations.