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AMI comments on COOL

The American Meat Institute (AMI) has told the Office of U.S. Trade Representative that mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL) violates U.S. international trade obligations.

AMI’s comments were in response to a December Federal Register notice.  An AMI spokesman says COOL is inconsistent with the United States’ WTO and NAFTA obligations because of what he calls “its discriminatory effect on imported meat and imported live animals.”  He says COOL violates America’s commitments under those agreements and undermines the credibility of the U.S.

Canada and Mexico have filed a case against the U.S. asking the WTO to rule on the legality of U.S. COOL law.