Canada monitoring proposed new labelling rules south of the border

Mar 09, 2023

The U-S is proposing new voluntary "Product Of USA" Or "Made In The USA" labelling for meat, poultry and egg products.

Canada will be monitoring the process closely as there's a growing concern that this may be similar to the mandatory Country of Origin Labelling legislation they had on fresh beef, pork and lamb.

Canada and Mexico launched a WTO challenge over m-COOL that resulted in the U.S. removing the labelling requirements for beef and pork.

Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau says Canada will closely review the proposed amendments and will take part in the U.S. rule-making process to ensure that these changes conform to the U.S.' international trade obligations.

She notes the Canada and United States meat and livestock sectors are highly integrated.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.