Farmscape for June 14, 2013

The U.S. based National Pork Producers Council is pledging to do all it can to head off trade retaliation by Canada and Mexico in response to revised U.S. Mandatory Country of Origin Labelling Rules.
Last month, in response to a World Trade Organization order to bring Mandatory Country of Origin Labelling legislation into compliance with its international trade obligations, the USDA issued a final rule amending labelling provisions for muscle cut covered commodities.
As a result retailers will now be required to indicate where each production step, born, raised, and slaughtered occurred and meat originating from one country will no longer be allowed to be mixed with meat from another.
National Pork Producers Council president Randy Spronk told reporters participating in a teleconference yesterday, NPPC will do everything it can to avoid potential retaliation by Canada and Mexico.

Clip- Randy Spronk-National Pork Producers Council:
Following the release of the USDA's final rule on Country of Origin Labelling both Canada and Mexico issued statements that each country will consider challenging the new rule as the rule continues to discriminate against meat products derived from livestock for their respective countries.
In addition each country stated that it will consider retaliatory measures against the United States by way of increased tariffs on both U.S. agricultural and manufactured goods should the WTO determine that the rule does not comply with the WTO rules.
While U.S. pork producers believe the United States must live up to its WTO obligations, NPPC does have concerns with the new rule.
We do believe a solution can be found that satisfies U.S. WTO obligations, provides sufficient label information to consumers and does not cause economic disruptions in the pork industry.
NPPC will do everything it can to avoid potential trade retaliation by Canada and Mexico.

Spronk notes NPPC believes we should have a North American swine industry and products from Canada and Mexico should be treated the same.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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