THURSDAY, JULY 5, 2012
VOL. 90 | NO. 27 | $3.75
A GROWING CONCERN | SENIOR HEALTH P21
SERVING WESTERN CANADIAN FARM FAMILIES SINCE 1923
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IT WAS A GREAT DAY AT THE FAIR
Medora, Man., competitors Lacey Dekeyser, left, and her father, Tony, show their cow and calf at the fair in Boissevain, Man., on June 24. |
SHARLENE BENNIE PHOTO
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COUNTRY OF ORIGIN LABELLING | WTO DECISION
Canada claims COOL victory Appeal upheld | Canadian livestock producers pleased with WTO decision on labelling provisions BY BRIAN CROSS SASKATOON NEWSROOM
Canada’s pork and beef industries are claiming victory in an ongoing trade battle over U.S. country-of-origin labelling. Last week, an appeal body of the World Trade Organization released a report on COOL measures and determined that mandatory labelling provisions discriminate against Canadian livestock producers. Under COOL, meat that originates in Canada but is shipped, fed, finished, packaged or sold in the United States is required to carry mandatory labels informing consumers that the meat they are buying did not originate in the U.S. Last week’s ruling confirmed that mandatory COOL measures put foreign livestock producers at a competitive disadvantage in the U.S. market.
This is a great outcome for Canada. MARTIN UNRAU CANADIAN CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION
The ruling, made public June 29, is not subject to further appeals. It gives the U.S. up to 15 months to comply and does not immediately require that American labelling rules be altered. In Canada, beef and pork industry groups lauded the decision, saying COOL was costing the Canadian meat and livestock industries hundreds of millions of dollars per year because of lost markets and reduced exports of live animals to U.S. feedlots, finishing barns and slaughterhouses.
“ T h i s i s a g re a t o u t c o m e f o r Canada,” said Canadian Cattlemen’s Association president Martin Unrau. “COOL has affected billions of dollars of commerce in cattle and beef products since it was implemented in 2008. On an individual basis, COOL has cost Canadian cattle producers at least $25 on every animal that is sold, regardless of whether it is sold in Canada or the United States.” Jean Guy Vincent, president of the Canadian Pork Council, offered a similar view, suggesting COOL provisions since 2008 had cost the Canadian pork industry roughly $1.4 billion in lost hog exports to the United States. “After all this time and after so much damage to our interests, this is such sweet music to our ears,” said Vincent. “The CPC will be working with our American counterparts and other U.S. stakeholders to help find a timely and
effective legislated end to this irritant.” U.S. officials hailed other parts of the June 29 ruling, saying it affirmed the American industry’s right to adopt country-of-origin labels, even though the U.S. will have to change how it operates the COOL program. Although mandatory country-oforigin labels contravene existing trade laws, it is widely believed that U.S. meat processors will still have the option of using the labels on a voluntary basis. Proponents of country-of-origin labels argue that U.S. consumers have a right to know where their meat products come from. They also contend that country-oforigin labels are primarily intended to educate American consumers and ensure that they are making informed choices at the supermarket. SEE COOL VICTORY, PAGE 2
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JULY 5, 2012 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Box 2500, Saskatoon, SK. S7K 2C4