Agricultural News
Canadian and Mexican Officials Praise Outcome of COOL Dispute Between US and Their Countries
Sun, 20 Dec 2015 08:53:56
The governments of Canada and Mexico expressed their pleasure that the trade dispute between the US and the two countries was ended this past Friday as the US Congress passed repeal of mandatory Country of Origin meat labeling as a part of the year end Omnibus spending bill. President Barack Obama later signed the measure on Friday finalizing the push for COOL repeal.
Officials from the two countries- including Chrystia Freeland, Canadian Minister of International Trade, Lawrence MacAulay, Canadian Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, and Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal, Mexico's Secretary of Economy, jointly issued the following statement on the United States' Country of Origin Labelling (COOL) requirements:
"We are very pleased that yesterday the U.S. Congress passed and U.S. President Barack Obama signed into law a bill that will repeal COOL for beef and pork, effective immediately.
"?We look forward to the restoration of full access to the U.S. market for Canadian cattle and hogs and Mexican cattle, as this will benefit our farmers and our economies.
"This outcome is a result of close cooperation and collaboration between our two countries and our many allies within the U.S. Congress over the past several years. We remain committed to working with partners in all three countries to enhance our shared North American prosperity."
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Saturday that both Freeland and MacAulay welcomed the passage of the legislation, calling Friday "a great day for Canada."
"This is a real vindication of the power and significance of the WTO dispute-resolution mechanism, which has secured a real win for Canada," Freeland said in a teleconference call from Nairobi, where she and MacAulay were taking part in a trade conference.
"This is a decision that will have a real and immediate benefit to the Canadian economy."
Freeland said she expects the labelling regime will disappear quickly.
"We will be monitoring the situation to make sure there are no problems in this area," MacAulay added.
The CBC adds in their weekend report that Freeland said Canada still intends to obtain formal approval next week from the WTO for retaliation, even though the tariffs won't be imposed.
"We think that it is prudent of us to take the legal process to its formal, technical conclusion," she said.
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