May 23, 2013 - The Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, Ed Fast, and the Minister of Agriculture, Gerry Ritz, today issued the following statement on the United States Country of Origin Labelling (COOL):
“Canada is extremely disappointed with the regulatory changes put forward by the United States today with respect to COOL. These changes will not bring the United States into compliance with its WTO obligations. These changes will increase discrimination against Canadian cattle and hogs and increase damages to industry on both sides of the border.
“Canada will consider all options at its disposal, including, if necessary, the use of retaliatory measures.
“We will continue to stand with Canadian cattle and hog producers against these unfair measures and we will not stop until we succeed.”
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A backgrounder follows.
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Rudy Husny
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Ed Fast
Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway
613-992-7332
rudy.husny@international.gc.ca
Trade Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-996-2000
Follow us on Twitter: @Canada_Trade
Jeff English
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Gerry Ritz
Minister of Agriculture
613-773-1059
Media Relations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
613-773-7972
1-866-345-7972
May 23, 2013, is the deadline for the United States to comply with the World Trade Organization’s ruling on Country of Origin Labelling (COOL), which determined that the measure discriminated against foreign livestock and was inconsistent with the United States’ WTO trade obligations.
Canada first brought this issue to the WTO in 2008. Since then, the federal ministers of international trade and agriculture have raised Canada’s concerns about COOL with their counterparts in the United States at every possible opportunity. Canadian government officials at all levels have also met with their American counterparts to work toward a resolution.
COOL is a mandatory U.S. measure that applied a burdensome labelling and tracking system throughout the livestock and meat supply chains in the United States. COOL led to the disintegration of the North American supply chain, created unpredictability in the market and imposed additional costs for producers on both sides of the border.
For more information on the World Trade Organization dispute settlement process, please visit WTO Appellate Body issues report on US “country of origin” disputes and Dispute settlement.
