Unified Canadian Stance on Need for Resolution of U.S. COOL

Nov 06, 2013

Ottawa, ON – The Canadian Pork Council is extremely pleased to be party to unified efforts between Canadian governments at both the federal and provincial levels, and the Canadian livestock industry, to communicate our collective determination to achieve a permanent resolution of the country-of-origin labelling dispute with the United States.

The CPC, along with the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, was represented in a Canadian delegation led by Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Gerry Ritz and which included three provincial agriculture ministers – Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Minister Ron Kostyshyn, Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart, and Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Verlyn Olson – who met with U.S. meat industry leaders at the annual North American Meat Association (NAMA) Outlook Conference in Chicago.

The CPC continues to work closely with the Government of Canada in a WTO dispute process which began in 2009 and which in 2012 found the U.S. to be out of compliance with its international obligations in how it administers country-of-origin labelling. 

Minister Ritz, in his remarks to U.S. industry leaders in Chicago, left no doubt that Canada is prepared, if necessary, to impose retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports to Canada if the United States fails to come into compliance with its WTO obligations on COOL.  However, it is our view that a resolution to the COOL issue is available now through the Farm Bill currently being debated in the U.S. Congress and the CPC remains hopeful that the United States, rather than the WTO, will take the lead to resolve this issue and to restore the open border conditions which history shows have been mutually advantageous in positioning the North American livestock and meat industry to compete most favourably in the world meat market.

The CPC serves as the national voice for hog producers in Canada. A federation of nine provincial pork industry associations, our organization’s purpose is to play a leadership role in achieving and maintaining a dynamic and prosperous Canadian pork sector. 

Source: CPC

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