In the first official visit by a Canadian prime minister in 19 years, President Obama said repeal of country-of-origin labeling (COOL) for pork and beef “bring the United States into compliance with its international trade obligations.” In a White House statement, he said: “Canada and the United States have a shared interest in a return to a fully integrated North American market for cattle and hogs that provides more opportunities and greater economic benefits for producers on both sides of the border.”
Lawmakers eliminated COOL to avoid up to $1 billion in retaliatory tariffs by Canada and Mexico, the winners of a WTO challenge against mandatory labeling, in effect since 2009. USDA revamped COOL after a first-round loss so that it required packages of beef and pork to say where the animals were born, raised and slaughtered. The WTO issued a final ruling against COOL last May, holding the requirement distorted cross-border livestock trade.
Obama and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “announced they were teaming to reduce the release of methane, a chemical contained in natural gas,” said the New York Times.
The leaders also said the countries would try to settle long-standing disagreements over softwood lumber.