Alberta Ranchers were given good news to end 2015, as the American Congress repealed Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) on meat products.
This came after the World Trade Organization ruled that such labeling discriminated against meat produced outside the U.S. This has been in force since 2008. It is estimated that it has cost the Canadian livestock industry $1 billion annually. The Alberta government welcomed the repeal of trade barrier.
“Alberta’s agriculture products are the province’s second largest export sector, and the United States is our most important trading partner,” said Oneil Carlier, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry. “With COOL eliminated, livestock producers, workers and businesses will no longer be saddled with unnecessary costs and have more opportunities to strengthen agriculture trade between our two countries.”
Brooks area rancher and former MLA Arno Doerksen welcomes the change, but says the impact won’t be immediately noticed by the industry.
“I think in time where there is demand for cattle in the US it should strengthen and make the market more responsive,” he said. “It will just make it easier for American markets to access Canadian cattle. Ultimately it should remove the barriers we have been concerned about, or reduce them at least.”
Doerksen says more than food safety and security, COOL was a political move.
“It was never about quality or health, it was political. Hopefully there isn’t another barrier that comes up, but it is a positive for us,” he said. “There are protectionists that will always be looking for some way to impede trade, but hopefully, this will be behind us”.
According to a press release from the Alberta government, in 2014, Alberta exported approximately $1.7 billion in live cattle and beef products to the United States and $189 million in live hogs and pork products.
