By Bruce Cochrane
The vice president domestic policy with the National Pork Producers Council is calling on the U.S. government to address Country of Origin Labelling to head off retaliatory trade action.
In May 2013, in response to a World Trade Organization order to bring Country of Origin Labelling into compliance with its international trade obligations, the U.S. added additional labelling requirements and prohibited the mixing of product from animals originating in different countries.
This spring the WTO determined the U.S. is still out of compliance and is expected to rule on the U.S. appeal later this month.
NPPC vice president domestic policy Audrey Adamson told those on hand last week for World Pork Expo Canada and Mexico have made it clear, if the U.S. loses again, they are prepared to exercise their right to retaliate.
Audrey Adamson-National Pork Producers Council:
This retaliatory action, meaning tariffs on U.S. products coming into both Canada and Mexico, and it is not going to be just pork and beef.
It will be manufactured goods, it will be wine from California, it will be furniture, it will be berries, it will be cherries, it will be a whole host of other things going into these other countries.
So at this point it becomes a much broader issue than just a case over the labelling of meat.
We in the United States are in the process of negotiating the Trans Pacific Partnership with 12 countries.
We need to lead by example to live up to our trade obligations to show our largest trading partners, yes we do live up to our trade obligations.
If f not they will be able to retaliate and this will cost U.S. jobs and it will very much damage the trading relationship.
Adamson warns, in the event this matter is not addressed, we could see retaliatory tariffs imposed on U.S. products entering Canada and Mexico as early as mid to late 2015.
Source: Farmscape