Manitoba Pork warns that a renewed U.S. push on beef labelling could eventually expand to pork, putting millions of cross-border pig movements at risk.
A familiar trade issue is resurfacing for the North American livestock industry, and Canadian pork producers are paying close attention.
The United States is again considering mandatory country-of-origin labelling (MCOOL) for beef. Pork is not currently included in the proposal, but Manitoba Pork General Manager Cam Dahl says the industry cannot assume it will stay that way.
“The focus is on beef, but I think we would be naive to not think that other commodities and other red meat products are going to follow,” Dahl told CityNews Winnipeg.
For the pork sector, that concern comes with history.
When mandatory U.S. country-of-origin labelling was previously implemented, the requirements covered both beef and pork. The rules required additional identification and segregation of livestock and meat based on where animals were born, raised and slaughtered.
Canada and Mexico challenged the U.S. requirements through the World Trade Organization, arguing that the system discriminated against imported livestock. After years of litigation and the prospect of retaliatory tariffs, the U.S. Congress repealed the mandatory requirements for beef and pork in 2015.
The fight came at a significant cost to Canadian agriculture.
Dahl said Manitoba Pork alone spent more than $1 million fighting the previous COOL requirements.
“It was expensive, but it was an important victory because of the cost that was imposing on our sector,” he said.
Source : Swine Web