WTO COOL Ruling: Canada can impose $1 B in Retaliatory Surtaxes on US Goods.

[AgrivilleAdmin]

From Agriculture Canada News

Statement from ministers Freeland and MacAulay on WTO ruling on U.S. Country of Origin Labelling

December 7, 2015 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of International Trade, and the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, today issued the following statement on the United States’ Country of Origin Labelling (COOL) policy:

“Country of origin labelling harms Canadian and Mexican livestock producers as well as U.S. processors and producers. It also disrupts the highly integrated North American meat industry supply chain.

“Since 2011, the World Trade Organization [WTO] has repeatedly ruled that COOL discriminates against Canadian and Mexican cattle and hogs and violates the trade obligations of the United States.

“The Government of Canada has made every effort to convince the United States to comply with its international trade obligations.

“We are pleased that on June 10, 2015, the U.S. House of Representatives repealed COOL for beef and pork. The Government of Canada has urged the U.S. Senate to do the same, but it has not yet done so.

“Today, the WTO arbitrator ruled that Canada can impose retaliatory surtaxes on $1.054 billion of U.S. exports to Canada as a result of the economic harm caused by the U.S. COOL policy, once final WTO authorization is obtained. The United States cannot appeal the ruling.

“If the U.S. Senate does not take immediate action to repeal COOL for beef and pork, Canada will quickly take steps to retaliate.

“Canada continues to work with our partners in the United States, and in the U.S. Senate, to urge the full repeal of the discriminatory COOL policy for beef and pork.”
Associated links

* 2013 Canada Gazette notice seeking comments on the proposed list of targeted U.S. imports<http://gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/2013/2013-06-15/html/notice-avis-eng.html#d115>
* Arbitrator issues report in ‘COOL’ case between U.S., Mexico and Canada<https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news15_e/384_386arb_e.htm>
Contacts

[bucket]

And how does the money flow to the cattle producers in canada that were hurt by the US actions?

Seems the cattle guys are still sucking the hind tit so to speak.

[WiltonRanch]

Oh boy a pissin match in the making. You know with Obama in there it isn't going to be repealed. Some bs tariffs on a laundry list of crap won't do more than create tensions. The Americans had tariffs on import Japanese cars for years because of Japanese tariffs on American poultry imports (maybe my memory isn't right) but this kinda stuff doesn't work.

[BFW]

Bucket no money will flow to cattle producers. If it is collected it will go to the government. likely no trade will happen in the commodity selected to have a tariff placed on it. Strategy is to create pressure to have mcool repealed.

[WiltonRanch]

Think the items listed for tariffs are produced in areas where the congressmen and reps are sympathetic to COOL.

[bucket]

BFW

What's the point then?

They cattle guys are the ones that suffered why make others suffer without any value to any industry?

The previous government that supposedly represented the cattle guy should have issued retaliatory measures long ago.

[BFW]

the point is trying to use the threat of the tariffs to have the legislation removed. I don't believe there is a mechanism in place for getting the money to farmers. Ideally the law will be repealed before any tariffs go into force.

[BFW]

this is the outcome of the WTO process that the conservative government initiated. They were not in a position to put in tariffs, at least legally, without going through the WTO hearings and subsequent US appeals until now.

[bucket]

As I said before the conservatives just left the cattle guy hanging.

Nice hey?

Let their friends consolidate the industry the easy way by doing nothing to keep the young guys at the ranch.

The conservatives did SFA about cool.

[Oliver88]

Good to see this ruling.