The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of International Trade, and the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, today issued the following statement in response to the United States amending its Country of Origin Labelling (COOL) regulation:
“Canada is very pleased that the U.S. has passed a law repealing discriminatory labelling requirements for beef and pork, and that today the U.S. Department of Agriculture amended the relevant regulations for this change to take effect. We are now reviewing the amendment.
“The World Trade Organization found COOL to be inconsistent with the United States’ international trade obligations, as it discriminated against Canadian cattle and hogs.
“This is a tremendously important development for our farmers and the economies of both our countries.â€
“Canada is very pleased that the U.S. has passed a law repealing discriminatory labelling requirements for beef and pork, and that today the U.S. Department of Agriculture amended the relevant regulations for this change to take effect. We are now reviewing the amendment.
“The World Trade Organization found COOL to be inconsistent with the United States’ international trade obligations, as it discriminated against Canadian cattle and hogs.
“This is a tremendously important development for our farmers and the economies of both our countries.â€