Retaliation threat against U.S. meat-labelling real, but Ritz hopes it won't be needed

CALGARY -- Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz says it's time for the United States to come to terms with country-of-origin labelling rules. The World Trade Organization ruled Monday that the U.S. labelling requirement, known as COOL, violates that country's trade obligations. It said the labels put Canadian and Mexican livestock at a disadvantage and rejected a U.S. appeal following a similar ruling last year. "The rules have been adjudicated, the U.S. was found offside and now it's up to them to find the fix that makes us happy," Ritz said Thursday. "We're now driving the bus. We're not under it anymore, so we'll see at the end of the day." A committee of the U.S. House of Representatives has already voted to repeal the law, which requires labels that say where animals were born, raised and slaughtered. Canada will probably be able to impose retaliatory tariffs against the United States by late summer or early fall if Washington doesn't repeal COOL rules. "If they don't come up with the fix to COOL, like repealing it, then that's our Plan B," said Ritz. The extent of retaliatory tariffs would depend on what the WTO would allow, Ritz said. There are 38 commodities already listed that Canada could put tariffs on and the list could grow even higher...more