NPPC Warns Action to Address COOL Must Appease Canada and Mexico to Avoid Retaliatory Tariffs

By Bruce Cochrane

The National Pork Producers Council says the only sure way for the U.S. Senate to ward off retaliatory tariffs being imposed on U.S. products exported into Canada and Mexico is to repeal provisions of U.S. Mandatory Country of Origin Labelling that pertain to beef and pork.

Canada and Mexico have asked the World Trade Organization to approve retaliatory tariffs on a range of imported products from the U.S. over Mandatory Country of Origin Labelling.

The House of Representatives has voted to repeal provisions which pertain to beef, pork and chicken, but a plan proposed in the senate calls for voluntary labels which would require the identification of where animals were born, raised and slaughtered to qualify as domestic products.

Nick Giordano, the vice present and council for global government affairs with the National Pork Producers Council, stresses the U.S. day in court is over and the only thing left to decide is the level of retaliation.

Nick Giordano-National Pork Producers Council:
Mexico and Canada have requested a combined amount over $3,000,000,000.

There's no question the WTO is going to authorize retaliation and they could do it as soon as this summer.

Nobody knows for sure when they're going to do it but they're going to do, it's going to be high, nobody knows if it's going to be over $3,000,000,000 but it's going to be very high, and once the WTO authorizes Canada and Mexico to retaliate, that retaliation can stay in place until Ottawa and Mexico City deem the United States to be in compliance so it doesn't really matter what NPPC thinks or what another farm group in the U.S. thinks or what the COOL reform Coalition thinks, Ottawa and Mexico City hold all the cards.

Giordano says Canada and Mexico are serious about retaliation and the fastest way out of this quagmire is for the Senate to follow the lead of the House and repeal COOL.

Source: Farmscape