Tariffs on beef aren’t part of the trilateral agreement
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Canada’s beef industry is pleased with the outcome of recent negotiations between Canada and the United States.
Neither country made any concessions or announced any tariffs on beef in the U.S.-Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA). The new trade deal will replace NAFTA once all three federal governments ratify the deal.
“Any time we can keep trade doors open, it has to be seen as good news,” Kevin Krebs, a beef producer from Didsbury, Alta., told Farms.com. “We raise a lot of beef, so the more beef products we can see leaving our country without any tariffs or disruptions is great for the industry.”
The U.S. also didn’t include country of origin labeling (COOL) in the USMCA.
COOL requires meat packaging to disclose where the animal was born, raised and slaughtered. But because some ground meat packaging contains product from Canada and Mexico, it’s difficult to differentiate between them.
Canada and Mexico have rejected COOL on several occasions and have even taken the issue to the World Trade Organization.
No COOL in the trilateral agreement is another victory for the Canadian beef industry.
“I’m certainly grateful that (COOL) isn’t part of the deal,” Fred Lozeman, a beef producer from Claresholm, Alta., told Farms.com. “We’ve enjoyed a good trade relationship with the United States and Mexico for a long time, so it’s good for us to see that it’s going to continue.”
The U.S. cattle industry, however, sees COOL’s exclusion differently.
The U.S. Cattlemen’s Association is “disappointed that the Administration turned its back on U.S. cattle producers,” said Kenny Granger, president of the organization, reports indicate.