Canada’s fight against U.S. country of origin labeling rules for meat highlights an inconsistency in the Canadian position on the treatment of foreign agricultural products, say two organizations representing American wheat growers and industry. U.S. Wheat Associates and the National Association of Wheat Growers sent a letter to Canadian Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and International Trade… Read More

When Canada’s agriculture and trade ministers — as everybody expected following the World Trade Organization’s latest ruling against U.S. country of origin labeling — promised to retaliate unless the labeling rules are repealed, virtually all Canadian livestock producer groups and provincial governments who benefit from cross-border cattle and hog trade applauded the federal government’s swift action. With one… Read More

Update on May 20th: The U.S. House Agriculture Committee, as expected, approved Chair Michael Conoway’s bill to repeal COOL on Wednesday morning by a vote of 38-6. It’s expected the entire House will vote on it in early June. The final ruling from the World Trade Organization against U.S. mandatory country of origin labeling and the threat… Read More

The World Trade Organization has once again sided with Canada and Mexico, as the WTO Appellate Body published a fourth and final ruling on U.S. country of origin labeling rules today. The appeal panel decision affirmed earlier rulings saying COOL illegally discriminates against foreign livestock (read the report and findings here). “The United States has used and… Read More

Just weeks before the World Trade Organization rules on the U.S. government’s final appeal to maintain mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) rules, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a report to the House and Senate agriculture committees on Friday saying the meat labeling laws have little, if any, measurable economic benefit. The USDA’s economic analysis of… Read More

Officials from Canada, Mexico and the U.S. were in Geneva this week for World Trade Organization appeal hearings on U.S. country of origin labelling (COOL) law. In the podcast below, John Masswohl of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and Kelvin Heppner discuss what happens next in the dragged-out COOL dispute resolution process, including when Canada could be in… Read More

From new developments in Canada’s latest case of BSE to the need for more investment in rail infrastructure, here’s a quick audio snapshot of this week’s ag news — the TWORA podcast for February 19th, 2015: Mentions: CFIA Investigation Unveils Birthdate of Alberta BSE Case Corn School: My Standing Corn is Turning Black — Is it… Read More

There are signs the long-running dispute over U.S. mandatory country of origin labelling (COOL) rules for meat is moving closer to resolution, as a Canadian delegation led by Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz visited Washington, DC. this week. “COOL is on life support,” Ritz told reporters on a conference call on Thursday afternoon. In what was the… Read More

Today, the United States officially lodged an appeal to the third and most recent World Trade Organization ruling on Country of Origin Labelling (COOL). Canadian Ministers are not pleased with the announced appeal. The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and the Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food issued the following statement… Read More

Canadian cattle and hog producers welcomed the World Trade Organization’s ruling on country of origin labeling (COOL) this week. On this week’s ag news podcast, Kelvin Heppner and the Real Ag team discuss the slow process of resolving the COOL dispute through the WTO, as well as A&W’s new chicken requirements, research to keep farm… Read More

The World Trade Organization has ruled against the United States once again in the ongoing dispute over American country of origin meat labeling (COOL) rules. Implemented in 2008, the Canadian government says COOL is costing Canadian cattle and hog producers a billion dollars per year. Legal Fight Against COOL Remains Alive, With WTO Ruling Coming… Read More

Agricultural legislators from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico met in Chicago last week for the Tri-National Accord — an annual meeting of provincial, state and national delegates to discuss agricultural trade issues. U.S. country of origin labeling (COOL), the impact of PED virus on North American hog production and challenges with grain logistics were three… Read More

 

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