March 16, 2009

                                
Canada agriculture minister renews WTO threat on US meat label law
                                             


Canadian Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz on Friday (March 13) renewed his threat of issuing a World Trade Organization challenge against the US for implementing a country-of-origin labelling law for meat.

 

New "voluntary" measures for labelling that the Obama administration added to the mandatory requirements devised by the Bush administration are primarily what Canada is concerned about, Ritz said in a teleconference with reporters. Ritz met earlier Friday with US Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack here in Washington.

 

The Bush administration finished writing the federal rule implementing Congress' labelling law in January, just days before the transition to the Obama administration. But in February, Vilsack said he didn't believe the Bush rule went far enough to inform consumers where their meat came from, so he asked that additional measures be added.

 

Vilsack is asking the US meat-producing sector to add more information on the labels for what they produce and keep tighter track of inventoried products and where they came from.

 

But Ritz said he was disappointed in the changes.

 

"We thought we had a deal with the former administration that the final rule would be implemented in a way that was more friendly to [the US import of] Canadian live cattle," Ritz said Friday.

 

Ritz said the Vilsack additions have Canadians concerned to the point that they will not hesitate to sue the US via the WTO.

 

Canadian livestock producers "know that we will stand up for them," Ritz said. "We do have the WTO challenge idling at the curb and ready to go."

 

The Canadian minister suggested that there seemed to be no way around a WTO challenge.

 

"We discussed the nature of what it takes to constitute a [WTO] challenge," Ritz said of his discussion with Vilsack. "And Canada will move forward ... and at the time of our choosing."
                                                                 

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