Canadian Ag Minister Meets with House, Senate Members Over COOL Regime
Canadian Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz traveled to Capitol Hill this week to "reinforce Canada's position" in the North American dispute over country-of-origin-labeling, his office said in a statement (here). Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., met with Ritz, according to a picture Roberts' office released on Feb. 4 (here). Roberts' staffers didn't respond for comment. Ritz will meet with members of the House and Senate during his time on Capitol Hill, said the Canadian statement. Members of the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, the Canadian Pork Council, and the Canadian Meat Council accompanied Ritz.
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The WTO has repeatedly sided with Canada and Mexico in this case, and said the COOL regime discriminates against foreign producers. The U.S. appealed the most recent WTO COOL ruling in late November (see 1411280029). Canada has long criticized the regulations and called for their removal. "COOL continues to significantly disrupt the North American supply chain, create unpredictability in the market, and impose additional costs on producers on both sides of the border," the statement said.
U.S. producers and industry representatives continue to push Congress to bring the U.S. meat labeling regulations into compliance with global trade law (see 1501210027). Canadian and Mexican retaliatory tariffs could severely damage the U.S. economy, industry representatives say. Congress directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide a report to Congress on COOL changes as part of the 2015 fiscal year appropriations package (see 1412170007). The Senate report is due two weeks after the World Trade Organization makes its final ruling in the COOL dispute or before by May 1, 2015.