WTO

[wilagro]

Canada should have lowered the boom on the Americans when COOL was first initiated. Canadians are so NICE and the years went by and the USA benefited all the way.

We should have threatened to do way with the NAFTA in fact but NO we were too freakin' NICE.

Maybe the USA will have learned something but don't hold your breath...they'll come back with some crooked scheme sooner or later.
====

[kato]

I'm sure there's schemes being cooked up as we speak.

[comtex]

Regarding Cool.So, what did we learn from this? While our cost was years of multi billion $ losses to beef/pork producers, the Canadian processor/retailer/consumer benefitted from our depressed prices as our politicians did as little as possible and ensured Canada's cheap food policy stayed in place. After all countervail action is actually a tax on the consumer to offset trade action and support the affected industry. So, 7 years of trade restriction and the US cost is $0.00, the Canadian consumer benefitted and we are happy our politicians really stepped up for us. Ha! Next time, after the first WTO ruling against the US our wonderful politicians should step up and slap on serious countervail, protectionist and punitive duties and let the Americans waste 7 years and millions of $ on appeal-repeal actions. At the 11th hour we say oops, sorry. This has been NO deterrent to future actions in any sector. The Americans know we play nice and within the rules. Rules which they are more than willing to bend again and again. Meanwhile as an industry we have to drive home the point to our elected representatives that we hold them responsible for their inaction and we demand better, much better!

[grassfarmer]

True enough comtex but there is the lengthy appeals process to go through. Shows me the Americans play this kind of game smartly to benefit themselves. Reality is we are the mouse compared to the US elephant, we need to export beef to them, they don't really need us so we can't go throwing any weight around as the odds are not in our favour.

[kato]

The sheep people are more than upset that this repeal doesn't apply to lambs. I don't blame them. They got pounded by be even though it doesn't affect sheep. Now they are still stuck with cool.