WTO rules against U.S. meat labelling laws

Canada has won an important battle in an ongoing trade dispute with the United States over meat labelling laws that have hurt the beef and pork industries.

The World Trade Organization has ruled that U.S. country-of-origin labelling (COOL) rules discriminate against exports from Canada and Mexico.

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The rules, which went into effect in 2008 and were updated last year, are blamed by the Canadian beef industry for reducing meat exports to the U.S. by half.

The WTO compliance panel says COOL breaks trade rules because it treats Canadian and Mexican livestock less favourably than U.S. livestock.

The panel says changes the U.S. made to the rules last year made the policy even more detrimental to livestock exporters.

"The compliance panel concluded that the amended COOL measure increases the original COOL measure's detrimental impact on the competitive opportunities of imported livestock in the U.S. market," the panel said.

"It necessitates increased segregation of meat and livestock in the U.S. market, entails a higher record-keeping burden and increases the original COOL measure's incentive to choose domestic over imported livestock."

2nd ruling against COOL laws

This is the third time the WTO has ruled against country-of-origin labelling it last said the practice contravened trade laws in 2012.

The federal government hailed the ruling Monday and called on the United States to comply with the WTO decision.

"Today's WTO compliance panel's report reaffirms Canada's long-standing view that the revised U.S. COOL measure is blatantly protectionist and fails to comply with the WTO's original ruling against it," Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said in a statement.

"The WTO's clear and consistent findings in support of Canada's position effectively supply a clear message to the U.S. end this protectionist policy that creates economic harm on both sides of the border and comply with your international trade obligations."

Ritz has said that he expects the U.S. may appeal the ruling before the trade battle is finally resolved.

COOL rules require all packaged meat to identify where the animal was born, raised and slaughtered.

Supporters of the law say it better informs U.S. consumers, while opponents argue that segregating animals and tracking them adds costs and violates free-trade agreements.

International Trade Minister Ed Fast has said the legislation undermines North American supply chains and costs the Canadian pork and beef industries about $1 billion a year.

Some U.S. companies have said they can't afford to sort, label and store meat from Canada differently than meat from domestic animals.

Ritz has said the federal government would consider imposing retaliatory tariffs measures on some U.S. goods as early as next year if Washington doesn't comply with WTO COOL rulings.