Farmscape for January 21, 2013
The Canadian Pork Council is encouraging its American counterpart to press the U.S. government to bring its Mandatory Country of Origin Labelling law into compliance with its World Trade Organization obligations.
In 2011 a World Trade Organization Dispute Settlement Panel found in favor of Canada and Mexico, ruling that U.S. Mandatory Country of Origin Labelling discriminates against imported livestock and the United States has been given until May 23, 2013 to bring its law into compliance with its trade obligations or risk retaliatory tariffs.
Last week the Canadian Pork Council released a report which shows, by October 2012, losses to Canadian pork producers had reached 1.9 billion dollars and continue to mount.
Jurgen Preugschas, a member of the Canadian Pork Council trade committee, says the report demonstrates the seriousness of the issue.
Clip-Jurgen Preugschas-Canadian Pork Council:
Their main organization, the NPPC, has always been on record of being opposed to M-COOL and we would certainly hope that they would be lobbying their government to come into compliance because the damage to them could be severe.
If there were to be retaliatory tariffs put on pork coming into Canada, it could virtually shut down the trade of pork coming into Canada and that would damage their producers and processors severely.
That's the reason we came out with the report now, to indicate what the potential retaliatory action might be.
As the numbers show it is quite significant and I would think, if I were a politician in the United States, I would take a look at this and it would get me to hurry and put some urgency in getting that legislation changed so none of this further action is taken.
Preugschas acknowledges the Americans have been preoccupied by other critical financial issues but he remains hopeful there will be a recognition of the need to address the M-COOL issue by May 23.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.
*Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork Council
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