Congress shivers at $1 billion tariff threat, kills COOL

The battle over country-of-origin labeling (COOL) between the U.S. and its North American neighbors may finally be, well, cooling off. Thanks to its inclusion in the omnibus spending bill passed Friday, COOL has finally been repealed after years of controversy. Intended to provide more transparency to consumers about their food, COOL has been a sticking point with Canada and Mexico. Those two countries have asserted that the law violates their trade agreements with the U.S. and puts their products at an economic disadvantage. After the WTO recently ruled in Canada and Mexico’s favor on the labeling, the two countries threatened to slap as much as $1 billion in tariffs on U.S. products. “U.S. exporters can now breathe a sigh of relief,” said Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kansas), who chairs the Senate Agriculture committee. “From the ranchers in Kansas to the jewelry makers on the East Coast, every state had something to lose from keeping mandatory COOL intact. Those worries can now be put to rest." In terms of meat labeling, USDA said it would take quick action in response to the law's repeal. “Effective immediately, USDA is not enforcing the COOL requirements for muscle cut and ground beef and pork outlined in the January 2009 and May 2013 final rules,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a statement Friday...more