By Bruce Cochrane
The chair of Manitoba Pork warns, trade retaliation is imminent if the U.S. fails to address Canadian and Mexican concerns over Mandatory U.S. Country of Origin Labelling.
Members of a delegation representing Manitoba Pork, on hand for World Pork Expo, met yesterday with representatives of Iowa senators, Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, to discuss pork industry concerns over the imminent prospects of retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products imported into Canada if the issue of U.S. Mandatory Country of Origin Labelling isn't resolved, following the final World Trade Organization ruling that the law violates American trade obligations.
Canada and Mexico have asked for a special WTO Dispute Settlement Body meeting June 17 at which time Canada will request authorization to impose over $3 billion in retaliatory measures against the U.S., while Mexico will seek authorization for over $653 million.
George Matheson, the chair of Manitoba Pork, says it appears U.S. legislators are beginning to recognize the significance of the this issue.
George Matheson-Manitoba Pork:
I think maybe for a lot of them for the first time, they are really seeing it as a very important issue, that Canada is taking very seriously, that they are prepared to apply these tariffs so it is definitely raised in terms of issues of importance.
This is a very significant issue and the repercussions will not be pretty if COOL continues to exist and the best way, our feeling is, to deal with this is to repeal the law, go back to the days when free trade was existent and not even go close to this tariff situation that we would be entitled to have on U.S. imports.
Matheson says retaliation is not a road pork producers want to go down, but Canada will use all available options to get its point across.
Source: Farmscape