CCA joins coalition lawsuit to block implementation of COOL
CCA News Release
Calgary, AB – The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) has joined a coalition of meat and livestock organizations in the U.S. and Canada in filing a lawsuit to block the implementation of the recently amended U.S. mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) regulation.
The complaint is made on the grounds that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) May 23, 2013 COOL amendment violates the U.S. Constitution and the U.S. Agriculture Marketing Act, and is arbitrary and capricious. The lawsuit was filed yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In addition to the CCA, plaintiffs include the American Association of Meat Processors, American Meat Institute, Canadian Pork Council, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Pork Producers Council, North American Meat Association, and Southwest Meat Association. Click here to read the coalition’s joint news release.
CCA President Martin Unrau said the legal action is warranted because the increase in discrimination against imported cattle inherent in USDA’s May 23 amendments to the COOL rule will irreparably injure Canada’s livestock producers and their U.S. customers.
“The CCA is forced to take this step with its allies as the USDA chooses to continue down a path of unfair trade discrimination that undermines the job security of American workers and harms the U.S. meat processing industry in addition to placing an unfair burden on Canadian cattle producers,” Unrau said.
The lawsuit follows a move last month by the Government of Canada to release a list of U.S. commodities that could be targeted for retaliation in relation to the COOL dispute. The Government of Canada has said it could seek retaliatory compensation of approximately $1.1 billion following the completion of ongoing World Trade Organization (WTO) proceedings, which will move forward independently of this U.S. based litigation.
The CCA's position remains that the only outcome that would bring the U.S. into compliance with the WTO ruling of June 2012, which found that COOL violates the U.S.’s WTO obligations, is to amend the COOL legislation to allow either a single mandatory label for all meat produced in the U.S. or to allow for voluntary labelling. The CCA has to date spent in excess of $2 million in legal and advocacy expenses to fight COOL.
CCA News Release
Calgary, AB – The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) has joined a coalition of meat and livestock organizations in the U.S. and Canada in filing a lawsuit to block the implementation of the recently amended U.S. mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) regulation.
The complaint is made on the grounds that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) May 23, 2013 COOL amendment violates the U.S. Constitution and the U.S. Agriculture Marketing Act, and is arbitrary and capricious. The lawsuit was filed yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In addition to the CCA, plaintiffs include the American Association of Meat Processors, American Meat Institute, Canadian Pork Council, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Pork Producers Council, North American Meat Association, and Southwest Meat Association. Click here to read the coalition’s joint news release.
CCA President Martin Unrau said the legal action is warranted because the increase in discrimination against imported cattle inherent in USDA’s May 23 amendments to the COOL rule will irreparably injure Canada’s livestock producers and their U.S. customers.
“The CCA is forced to take this step with its allies as the USDA chooses to continue down a path of unfair trade discrimination that undermines the job security of American workers and harms the U.S. meat processing industry in addition to placing an unfair burden on Canadian cattle producers,” Unrau said.
The lawsuit follows a move last month by the Government of Canada to release a list of U.S. commodities that could be targeted for retaliation in relation to the COOL dispute. The Government of Canada has said it could seek retaliatory compensation of approximately $1.1 billion following the completion of ongoing World Trade Organization (WTO) proceedings, which will move forward independently of this U.S. based litigation.
The CCA's position remains that the only outcome that would bring the U.S. into compliance with the WTO ruling of June 2012, which found that COOL violates the U.S.’s WTO obligations, is to amend the COOL legislation to allow either a single mandatory label for all meat produced in the U.S. or to allow for voluntary labelling. The CCA has to date spent in excess of $2 million in legal and advocacy expenses to fight COOL.
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