CALGARY: The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) said it has welcomed a long awaited decision by a World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) Arbitration panel with great satisfaction.
The arbitrators have determined that Canadian livestock producers have suffered annual damages in the amount of $1.055 billion CAD.
U.S. mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) has been in effect since 2008. As the arbitrator’s finding shows, in these seven years the cumulative losses for the Canadian beef and pork sectors have been staggering. At every step of the process, the WTO has repeatedly found that the U.S. is in breach of its WTO obligations. The only revision the U.S. has made, in 2013, increased the negative impact on Canadian farmers and meat processors, said the CCA.
Canadian livestock producers and meat processors expect the U.S. to repeal COOL or face the immediate imposition of retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, the CCA said in a joint release with the Canadian Pork Council, National Cattle Feeders’ Association and Canadian Meat Council.
The CCA applauds the Governments of Canada and Mexico for their persistence in moving the lengthy WTO process to this final point. The CCA said it will continue to support them as they move forward with the imposition of tariffs on a combined $1.01 billion USD of imports from the United States.
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