WTO Hears US Appeal On COOL

Feb 20, 2015

Canadian, US and Mexican officials appeared before the WTO’s Appellate Body this week in Geneva.

The US is hoping the panel will overturn previous rulings against COOL by the WTO, If the U.S. loses the appeal, Canada would be in a position to launch retaliatory tariffs.

John Masswohl the CCA’s Director of International Relations says they expect the panels written decision to be released to all parties in late April.

"Once that final report is public and adopted by the WTO, then Canada and Mexico will be in a position to request authority to retaliate. Thought there would be a little bit of an arbitration, the authorized amounts, how much trade can we put tariffs on, that probably takes us to about July that Canada would be in that position to put those tariffs on."

Masswohl says this was the last kick at the can for the U-S to prevent retaliatory measures, adding that Canadian officials who have been arguing the case for us have done a tremendous job.

He's confident the Appellate Panel will uphold the previous rulings.

Source: PortageOnline

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.