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COOL "A Tragedy" In Cda-US Relationship.

Canadian livestock producers have an ally in one of the world's largest private companies in their fight against US country of origin meat labeling (COOL) rules.

"COOL is one of the real tragedies of the relationship between our two countries," said Cargill's executive chair Gregory Page on the sidelines of the Canadian Global Crops Symposium in Winnipeg last week. "That we don't think of this as an integrated industry is really unfortunate."

cargill logo3He said the success of the US meat industry depends on the ability to freely import cattle and hogs from Canada and Mexico.

"If you think about the meat industry as something that takes livestock and makes it into hundreds of different products and then tries to sell them to the best destinations, the only way for livestock producers in North America to be successful is together," said Page.

COOL was designed to restrain trade rather than to inform consumers, he said.

"Some of the arguments were cloaked in the language of consumers-right-to-know or trying to gin up fears about how their food is produced, but if anybody's been to the plant in High River, Alberta, they would not have those concerns. It stands up to the scrutiny of any of the very best plants in the United States," noted Page.

The Canadian livestock sector is fighting COOL on two fronts: through the World Trade Organization's dispute settlement process and in the American court system. Cargill has been involved - through the American Meat Institute - in the legal challenge brought forward by a coalition that includes the Canadian Cattlemen's Association and the Canadian Pork Council.

The Canadian government has also published a list of US imports that could face retaliatory tariffs if a WTO compliance panel rules that the US has not amended COOL to meet the Americans' trade obligations. Page said he knows of other companies based in Minnesota that will be "harmed greatly" by the potential trade sanctions.

"The retaliation is very targeted, and that's not something that should surprise any of us. It was clearly though through with the goal of trying to get American political voices to see this in the proper perspective," he said.

Source: SteinbachOnline


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