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Canada warns of "retaliatory" measures regarding labeling rule
Story Date: 5/28/2013
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Source: Michael Fielding, MEATINGPLACE, 5/24/13
In the wake of the USDA's issuance of the final rule on Country of Origin Labelling (COOL), Canada's Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, Ed Fast, and the Minister of Agriculture, Gerry Ritz, Thursday warned of "the use of retaliatory measures."
“Canada is extremely disappointed with the regulatory changes put forward by the United States today with respect to COOL," Ritz and Fast said in a statement issued Thursday. "These changes will not bring the United States into compliance with its WTO obligations. These changes will increase discrimination against Canadian cattle and hogs and increase damages to industry on both sides of the border.
The final rule modifies the labeling provisions for muscle cut covered commodities to require the origin designations to include information about where each of the production steps – that is: where a meat animal was born, raised and slaughtered – occurred and removes the allowance for commingling of muscle cuts.
Costs to meatpackers and retailers are expected to range from $53.1 million to $192.1 million, according to USDA.
American industry groups also criticized the move.
“The rule is a disaster. It will exacerbate costs, particularly for independent packers that need to comingle animals to run their plants near capacity. With the other factors impacting their business, some may not be able to continue to operate,” North American Meat Association CEO Barry Carpenter said in a statement. “And it won’t appease those World Trade Organization concerns brought by Canada and Mexico that forced this regulatory initiative.”
“We will continue to stand with Canadian cattle and hog producers against these unfair measures and we will not stop until we succeed," the Canadians added.
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