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Canadian Cattlemen applaud request for WTO panel against mCOOLThe Canadian Cattlemen's Association commends the Government of Canada for the Oct. 7 announcement that they will request the World Trade Organization to create a Dispute Settlement Panel to rule on the United States' (U.S.) mandatory Country-of-Origin Labelling (mCOOL) law. Since mCOOL came into effect one year ago, Canadian cattle producers have lost over a quarter-of-a-billion dollars in lower cattle prices and increased costs. CCA President Brad Wildeman commented, "At a time when economic conditions make it difficult for people to buy as much beef as they normally do, along came mCOOL to really make things worse. The negative impact of this legislation will only increase and that's why we appreciate the Minister of Agriculture, Gerry Ritz, and the Minister of International Trade, Stockwell Day, requesting the Dispute Settlement Panel at the WTO." mCOOL requires beef and other meats sold in the U.S. to be labeled with the country where the animal was born. It is important to note that U.S. consumers haven't demonstrated an aversion to Canadian beef. Rather, the main impact has been large commercial meat purchasers and cattle buyers adopting strategies to avoid the extra costs that result from separately managing meat from Canadian-born cattle versus U.S.-born cattle. Those U.S. companies who have continued to purchase Canadian cattle have reduced their price to cover the extra cost of managing the different inventories.
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