Supranational ISDS Panel Bans US Retailers from Labeling Country of Origin on Meat

[presence]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/18/us-usa-meat-idUSKBN0O31G820150518


US | Mon May 18, 2015 1:47pm EDT Related: U.S., (http://www.reuters.com/news/us) Mexico (http://www.reuters.com/places/mexico)
U.S. loses meat labeling case; trade war looms

WASHINGTON | By Krista Hughes (http://blogs.reuters.com/search/journalist.php?edition=us&n=krista.hughes&)





http://s3.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20150518&t=2&i=1049319848&w=644&fh=&fw=&ll=&pl=&r=LYNXMPEB4H0P6
Boneless beef trimmings that average about 70% fat from which lean, finely textured beef (LFTB) is created from is pictured at the Beef Products Inc (BPI) facility in South Sioux City, Nebraska November 19, 2012.
Reuters/Lane Hickenbottom



Canada and Mexico are readying trade sanctions against the United States after they won a meat labeling dispute on Monday, increasing pressure on the U.S. Congress to scrap the laws.
The World Trade Organization upheld a complaint by Canada and Mexico about U.S. laws requiring retailers to label meat with the country where the animal was born, raised and slaughtered, saying they discriminated against imported livestock.
Republicans, who have a majority in Congress, have signaled they may act to repeal the laws as early as this week, but consumer groups and many Democrats say they provide essential information for shoppers.
Canadian beef and pork industries say the rules add to expenses and have cut livestock exports, driving some farmers out of business and costing them more than $1 billion a year.
"Our governments will be seeking authorization from the WTO to take retaliatory measures against U.S. exports," the Mexican and Canadian ministers for trade and agriculture said in a joint statement.
Canada has published a hit list of potential U.S. targets, including wine, chocolate, ketchup and cereal. Mexico has not done so but estimates damages similar to Canada's.

The Republican chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, Michael Conaway, called for swift action.
"It is more important now than ever to act quickly to avoid a protracted trade war with our two largest trade partners," he said.
But the committee's top Democrat, Collin Peterson, said he would oppose efforts to repeal the laws and said there were still steps to follow at the WTO before rushing into a decision.
Uncertainty about the U.S. reaction helped pressure Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle and lean hog futures lower. Allendale Inc chief strategist Rich Nelson said any material impact depended on the U.S. response, but rescinding the legislation could increase Canadian hog imports.
U.S. pork producers and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, along with business groups, are pushing for legislative action.
“Unless Congress acts now, Canada and Mexico will put tariffs on dozens of U.S. products,” said National Pork Producers Council President Ron Prestage. “That’s a death sentence for U.S. jobs and exports."
But R-CALF USA, a small but vocal lobby group for U.S. cattle producers, said Congress should stand firm and not surrender "U.S. sovereignty.”
Consumer group Public Citizen pointed to a 2014 survey showing nine in 10 Americans supported the rules.
"Today’s WTO ruling ... effectively orders the U.S. government to stop providing consumers basic information about where their food comes from," said Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch Director Lori Wallach, adding that it showed the danger of free trade deals' undermining consumer safeguards.
U.S. Trade Representative Chief Counsel Tim Reif said the office was considering all options and would continue to consult with members of Congress and the public.
The dispute stems from a 2009 U.S. requirement that retail outlets use labels such as "Born in Mexico, Raised and Slaughtered in the United States" to give consumers more information about the safety and origin of their food.

[luctor-et-emergo]

The butcher I get my meat from has a chalkboard with the farms he buys his animals from. I don't need forced labels. It's a popular butcher though, no 'lowest price' anything but everything is quality.

[presence]

WTO Rejects US Meat 'Origin' Labels (http://www.wsj.com/articles/wto-rejects-u-s-meat-labels-1431962316) Wall Street Journal - ‎3 hours ago‎
Canada and Mexico say labeling requirements discriminate against their livestock—not because consumers snub imported meat but because meatpackers don't want to go through the hassle and expense of segregating imported animals. As a result ...



Shoppers Could Soon Have Difficulty Finding Meat's Origin (http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/wto-rejects-country-origin-labels-meat-31121779) ABC News - ‎43 minutes ago‎
The World Trade Organization ruled Monday that U.S. "country of origin" labels on certain cuts of red meat put Canadian and Mexican livestock at a disadvantage, rejecting a U.S. appeal after a similar WTO decision last year. The current labels on packages of ...



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WASHINGTON (AP) — Labels on packaged steaks and other cuts of meat in the United States that say where the animals were born, raised and slaughtered will have to be dropped or revised after a World Trade Organization ruling. The office of the U.S. ...





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A fight over U.S. meat labels is poised to enter a contentious new round when the World Trade Organization decides, as soon as Monday, whether country-of-origin labels discriminate against livestock from Canada and Mexico. U.S. meat labels, introduced in ...





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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Canada and Mexico are readying trade sanctions against the United States after they won a meat labeling dispute on Monday, increasing pressure on the U.S. Congress to scrap the laws. The World Trade Organization upheld a ...





Canada, Mexico win final round in battle against US meat-labelling rules (http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/canada-mexico-win-final-round-in-battle-against-u-s-meat-labelling-rules-1.2379094) CTV News - ‎7 hours ago‎
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Shoppers could soon miss labels with meat's origins (http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2015/05/18/3639236/shoppers-could-soon-miss-labels.html) The San Luis Obispo Tribune - ‎3 hours ago‎
Meat labels at a grocery store in Washington, Tuesday, May 19, 2015. Labels on packaged steaks and other cuts of meat in the United States that say where the animals were born, raised and slaughtered will have to be dropped or revised after a World Trade ...



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WASHINGTON - Canada and Mexico have defeated the United States' meat-labelling rules at the World Trade Organization, winning a final appeal that could pave the way to retaliatory sanctions. If the U.S. wants to avoid a broader trade war, Monday's ...





'Made in USA' meat labels unfair, trade panal says (http://www.argusleader.com/story/news/politics/2015/05/18/made-usa-unfair-label-meat-trade-panal-says/27548031/) Sioux Falls Argus Leader - ‎1 hour ago‎
WASHINGTON – A rule requiring steak, pork chops and other meats in the United States to carry labels showing where the animals were born, raised and slaughtered was struck down by an international trade panel on Monday. The World Trade Organization ...





WTO shoots down US meat-labeling rule (http://thehill.com/regulation/242385-wto-rules-against-us-appeal-to-keep-country-of-origin-labeling-rule) The Hill - ‎5 hours ago‎
Issued in 2013, the COOL regulations would require that meat packaging give more information about where the animals were born, raised and slaughtered. Under the rule, the label on a cut of beef could theoretically read “Born in Mexico, raised in Canada, ...





Conservatives vow trade retaliation after WTO rules against US meat labelling (http://news.google.com/news/url?sr=1&sa=t&ct2=us%2F0_0_s_10_0_t&usg=AFQjCNEVOT94hBq_tFL6Kn7xx50NjKnXpg&did=38730ff97da967d9&cid=52778844622818&ei=TW5aVdGvH8_p3AGjtIG4CA&rt=STORY&vm=STANDARD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ctvnews.ca%2Fbusiness%2Fconse rvatives-vow-trade-retaliation-after-wto-rules-against-u-s-meat-labelling-1.2379094) CTV News - ‎7 hours ago‎
OTTAWA -- The Conservative government says it will move ahead with retaliatory trade measures against the United States in light of a decisive World Trade Organization ruling against American meat labelling. The WTO has rejected a final U.S. appeal, ...





Trade beef over meat could put a cork in California wine exports (http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2015/05/world-trade-organization-meat-wine-california.html) San Francisco Business Times (blog) - ‎3 hours ago‎
A claim by the World Trade Organization that the United States is violating rules on meat exports could end up costing California's wine industry hundreds of millions of dollars, according to a statement Monday by a powerful trade group. The WTO ...



Republican lawmaker says must avoid 'trade war' over meat labels (http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/18/us-usa-meat-congress-idUSKBN0O31LM20150518) Reuters - ‎7 hours ago‎
WASHINGTON House Agriculture Committee Chairman Michael Conaway on Monday called for swift action to avoid a "trade war" after the United States lost a trade dispute with Mexico and Canada over meat labeling. Conaway, a Republican, said he had ...



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WASHINGTON May 18 Canada plans to seek permission to retaliate against U.S. imports after a World Trade Organization ruling that U.S. meat labeling laws are discriminatory, Canadian Trade Minister Ed Fast and Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said on ...



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MEXICO CITY, 18 may The governments of Mexico and Canada urged the United States to scrap its meat label rules in the wake of a ruling by the World Trade Organization (WTO), the countries said in a joint statement on Monday. The United States lost its ...





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Meat sold in the U.S. has to have a label telling in which country the animal was born, raised, and slaughtered. But the World Trade Organization confirmed Monday that those country of origin labels (COOL) on meat sold in the U.S. violate international law.





WTO upholds Canada, Mexico meat labelling complaint (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-business/us-business/wto-upholds-canada-mexico-meat-labelling-complaint/article24477893/) The Globe and Mail - ‎42 minutes ago‎
The World Trade Organization upheld a complaint by Canada and Mexico about U.S. laws requiring retailers to label meat with the country where the animal was born, raised and slaughtered, saying they discriminated against imported livestock.



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US loses WTO appeal in meat labeling dispute: source (http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/17/us-wto-usa-food-idUSKBN0O20W620150517) Reuters - ‎May 17, 2015‎
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18 de mayo de 2015, 16:22México, 18 May (Prensa Latina) Mexico and Canada have defeated the United States'' meat labelling rules at the World Trade Organization, winning a final appeal that could pave the way to retaliatory sanctions. Canada and ...





US loses WTO appeal in meat labelling dispute: source (http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/consumer/us-loses-wto-appeal-in-meat-labelling-dispute-source) THE BUSINESS TIMES - ‎May 17, 2015‎
[NEW YORK] The United States has lost its appeal against a World Trade Organisation ruling ordering it to bring its meat labeling laws into line with global trade rules, according to a government official familiar with the dispute. In 2011, Canada and Mexico ...



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Retaliation by Canada and Mexico will soon become a reality, meaning economically devastating tariffs on a broad spectrum of U.S. exports, from meat and fruit to jewelry, furniture and biofuels. Ripple effects will be felt in nearly every industry, every state and ...





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The World Trade Organization has rejected a U.S. appeal of its decision that country-of-origin labeling (COOL) on meat unfairly discriminates against meat imports and give the advantage to domestic meat products. The final ruling launches a WTO process to ...



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COOL requires meat to be labeled with the country where the animal from which it was derived was born, raised and harvested. Canada and Mexico send livestock to the United States to be fed out and processed. The WTO decision paves the way for those ...





WTO rules COOL regulations for meats not in compliance (http://www.kmaland.com/ag/wto-rules-cool-regulations-for-meats-not-in-compliance/article_870ea62e-fd7f-11e4-b067-fbb7cd507755.html) KMAland - ‎5 hours ago‎
(Washington)--“The World Trade Organization dispute panel has ruled that U.S. Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) regulations for meats are not in compliance with previous WTO decisions. That means we need further effort to craft an acceptable COOL ...



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WASHINGTON, May 18, 2015 - The World Trade Organization (WTO) has once again ruled a U.S. country-of-origin labeling (COOL) rule for meat non-compliant with international trade obligations, setting in motion the potential for billions in economic ...