Canada has officially requested that a WTO dispute panel be established to review claims against implementation of Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) of some products in the United States. The 2008 Farm Bill mandates COOL at the retail level for beef, lamb, pork, chicken, goat, perishable agricultural commodities, and certain nuts.
The interim rule for implementation was published in August of 2008, Canada and Mexico requested dispute consultations on that rule in December. In January, Canada agreed not to pursue a WTO dispute panel if the final rule contained certain flexibilities regarding meat labeling. USDA published the final rule in January for implementation on March 16th. Canada and Mexico filed a request for consultation on the final rule in May.
U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack and Trade Representative Ron Kirk issued a statement saying, “We regret that formal consultations have not been successful in resolving Canada’s concerns over country of origin labeling.”
The Canadian request for a dispute panel will be considered by the WTO on October 23rd.
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