Earlier this week, the World Trade Organization, WTO, ruled U.S. country-of-origin labelling, or COOL, rules discriminate against exports from Canada and Mexico. The WTO compliance panel said COOL breaks trade rules because it treats Canadian and Mexican livestock less favourably than U.S. livestock. The panel said changes the U.S. made to the rules last year made the policy even more detrimental to livestock exporters. I spoke with Alberta Premier and Minister of International and Intergovernmental Relations Jim Prentice about the ruling.
COOL regulations went into effect in 2008 and since then, Canadian producers have blamed them for reducing meat exports to the U.S. by half.
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Source: Agriculture and Rural Development