Statement by Canada and Mexico on U.S. Country of Origin Labelling

Ottawa, Ontario - Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada

The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade, and the Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, jointly with Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal, Mexico’s Secretary of Economy, and Enrique Martínez y Martínez, Mexico’s Secretary of Agriculture, today issued the following statement on the two countries’ next steps at the World Trade Organization (WTO) against the United States’ country of origin labelling (COOL) measure:

“On May 18, 2015, the WTO once again confirmed Canada and Mexico’s long-standing position that the United States’ mandatory COOL requirements for beef and pork are discriminatory and are a violation of the United States’ international trade obligations.

“The amended COOL measure, which causes Canadian and Mexican livestock and meat to be segregated from those of U.S. origin, is damaging to North America’s supply chain and is harmful to producers and processors in all three countries.

“In light of the WTO’s final decision and due to the fact that this blatantly protectionist measure remains in place, our governments today are asking the WTO for a special Dispute Settlement Body meeting to request retaliation rights against the United States, to take place on June 17.

“Canada will request authorization from the WTO to impose over C$3 billion in retaliatory measures against the U.S., while Mexico will seek authorization for over US$653 million.

“We continue to call on the United States to repeal COOL legislation for beef and pork and comply with its international obligations.

“The Canadian and Mexican governments will continue to work closely to resolve this important trade issue with the United States in order to defend our farmers and ranchers and maintain jobs and economic prosperity throughout North America.”

Source: AAFC