Reading Time: 4 minutes Canada will be able to take only about a third of the revenge it asked the World Trade Organization to authorize over the United States’ country-of-origin labelling (COOL) law. An arbitration panel of the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) ruled Monday that Canada and Mexico may now ask the DSB to authorize annual retaliatory tariffs, […] Read more
WTO dials back Canada’s COOL retaliation
MacAulay favours TPP deal, poised for trade fight with U.S.
Reading Time: 2 minutes Winnipeg | Reuters –– Canada’s new agriculture minister said Tuesday he likely will support the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiated by the previous government, and is inclined to retaliate against the U.S. over a long-standing meat-labeling dispute. The Liberal government, elected last month, has not taken a firm position yet on whether it will support TPP, which […] Read more
COOL saga winding down, but not over yet
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada –– The seven-year saga of U.S. country of origin labelling (COOL) rules and their adverse impact on Canada’s livestock sector may be nearing its final chapter, but the conclusion still needs to be written. After numerous complaints and appeals with the World Trade Organization, the COOL regulations in place since 2008 have been […] Read more
NAFTA countries debate COOL harm at WTO
Reading Time: 2 minutes Canada and Mexico have made their case before a World Trade Organization arbitration panel on how much tariff revenge they’re allowed to impose on U.S. goods over country-of-origin labelling (COOL). The WTO “has ruled four times that the U.S.’s COOL rules are discriminatory,” Canadian Pork Council chairman Rick Bergmann said in a council release Wednesday […] Read more
Voluntary COOL still not OK: Ritz and Fast
Reading Time: < 1 minute Two U.S. senators have introduced a bipartisan bill which would replace mandatory country-of-origin labelling for meat within a voluntary program, but it doesn’t impress Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and International Trade Minister Ed Fast. The bill is intended to bring the U.S. into compliance with a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling in May that the […] Read more
U.S. seeks arbitration at WTO over COOL-related sanctions
Reading Time: 2 minutes The U.S. government has mounted a new defense at the World Trade Organization for its meat label law, this time seeking arbitration against Canada’s request for trade sanctions. The WTO Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) had been scheduled Wednesday to hear Canadian trade officials’ request to authorize over $3 billion in tariffs on U.S. goods, in formal retaliation […] Read more
U.S. House of Representatives votes to scrap COOL
Reading Time: 3 minutes Washington | Reuters — The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday evening voted to repeal meat labeling laws, which were widely backed by U.S. consumer groups, as Canada and Mexico threaten US$3 billion in trade sanctions. The House voted 300-131 to repeal country-of-origin labeling (COOL) rules on beef, pork and poultry, after the World Trade […] Read more
WTO booked to hear Canada’s COOL tariff case
Reading Time: 3 minutes The World Trade Organization’s Dispute Settlement Body is set to hear Canada’s request in just under two weeks for revenge against the U.S. over country-of-origin labelling (COOL). Canada on Thursday filed its request for authorization of retaliatory tariffs, to be considered at a DSB meeting on June 17, the federal government said. Barring a repeal […] Read more
Canada preparing shorter list of tariff targets in COOL fight
Reading Time: 2 minutes Winnipeg | Reuters — Canada is whittling down its list of U.S. products that it may hit with steep tariffs in retaliation against contentious meat-labeling laws, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said on Tuesday. The Canadian government is likely to target beef, pork, California wines, mattresses, cherries and office furniture, possibly along with other goods, from […] Read more
U.S. lawmaker sees early June vote to repeal COOL
Reading Time: < 1 minute Washington | Reuters –– U.S. House of Representatives agriculture committee chairman Mike Conaway said on Tuesday he expects an early June vote on legislation to repeal U.S. meat labeling laws, to avoid costly retaliation from Canada and Mexico. Canada and Mexico began preparing retaliatory steps against U.S. goods on Monday, after a World Trade Organization […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
