The Canadian Pork Council is urging Prime Minister-elect Justin Trudeau to continue to put pressure on the United States to repeal its country of origin labeling (COOL) laws.
Trudeau, a member of the Liberal Party of Canada, defeated incumbent Stephen Harper, a member of the Conservative Party, during the October 19 election. He will be sworn into office in November.
In a press release, CPC stated that the U.S. must change its COOL laws concerning labeling on pork, beef and poultry products to “eliminate the discrimination which the WTO has found it imposes on Canadian pigs and cattle.”
Canada and Mexico have been in a long-standing dispute with the U.S. saying the country’s COOL laws violate international trade obligations. The World Trade Organization (WTO) on May 18 issued its final ruling, favoring Mexico and Canada.
Since that time, the U.S. House of Representatives has approved a bill that would repeal COOL, but the Senate has yet to pass any related legislation, despite urgings from Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts to do so. Other industry groups, including the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and the North American Meat Institute (NAMI), have also pushed for the repeal of U.S. COOL laws.
With COOL still in effect, Canada and Mexico are seeking more than US$3 billion in retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods. The WTO is expected to issue a decision on the level of retaliation in December, according to NPPC.
