Posted on 05/27/2011 9:41:30 AM PDT by SwinneySwitch
GENEVA - The World Trade Organization has ruled against some U.S. labeling regulations for meat sold in supermarkets, saying they discriminate against foreign suppliers, people close to the case said on Thursday.
The confidential interim ruling, if approved later this year, would deal a partial victory to Mexican and Canadian breeders frustrated in their attempts to export to the United States, and opens the way to scores of similar legal challenges, the sources said.
A WTO spokesman said the interim report -- expected to be largely unchanged in its final version later this year -- was circulated to the United States, Canada and Mexico on May 20. The WTO declined to comment on its contents, citing its confidentiality.
Canada and Mexico sued the United States at the WTO in 2009, saying U.S. Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) rules requiring meat sold in U.S. stores to show which country it comes from damaged their North American trade.
More broadly, the case highlights a growing trend toward subtle trade barriers -- including standards on health, safety or consumer information -- that can hit demand for imports.
The ruling is expected to spur similar cases around the world where exports worth billions of dollars are being slowed by such standards, some of which are designed specifically to galvanize local consumer loyalty.
"The WTO is going to hear many more cases on standards such as consumer labels. The findings of the COOL case and others show labeling schemes have a very real chance of being ruled illegal at the WTO," said a person familiar with the issue.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.reuters.com ...
Personally, the canadian meat I have had is MUCH better than USA meat.
WTO can go....well...you know....we are the US....this will be interesting...do we follow WORLD rules, our our own RULES?
The WTO knows who and what we have in the White House, et al.
Says it all.
I want every damn bit of imported food or anything else to be marked with country of origin.
And before you know it...you’ll be eating radioactive food from Japan and other contaminated sources.
yet more fodder for a populist third candidate wishing to rerun the Ross Perot ‘92 campaign
Mexico would prefer that American ranchers went out of business. I would imagine that many others would prefer the same. I’ll stick with American ranchers, thank you very much.
Waiting for the defamation of the EU for having implemented exactly the same thing .....
I’ve had some great beef in Mexico as well. It’s silly to use consumer choice or ‘local consumer loyalty’ as an excuse to not provide the consumer with useful information though.
ML/NJ
Why is the WTO ruling on something that should be covered under NAFTA?
Oh, and FWTO!!
Yuck.. . . .just the thought of imported mexico “beef” and their all-so-famous high hygienic standards in manufacturing makes one gag. . .100% beef (made from parts of competing cartel members). Double Gag.
if they win this suit how in the world will they be able to label Canadian Bacon?
I consider Mexican food “poison”...
Ditto. We got some "frankenbeef" potentially sourced from US, Canada, Mexico, Australia or NZ. It's terrible.
E. coli?
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