USTR urged to reinstate COOL

The Coalition for a Prosperous America says country-of-origin labeling of beef and pork would benefit U.S. agriculture.    The Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) on Wednesday urged U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to pursue country-of-origin labeling (COOL) issues in the NAFTA renegotiation, claiming that the reinstatement of COOL for beef and pork will help U.S. consumers find safer food alternatives and help boost U.S. agriculture, according to a CPA press release.
   The World Trade Organization Appellate Body in 2015 ruled that the U.S. program discriminates against Canadian and Mexican exporters, and WTO arbitrators later authorized Canada and Mexico to retaliate.
   “Thanks to objections from Mexico and Canada, global food companies can import unlabeled beef and sell the resulting food products to uninformed consumers, often with a ‘Product of USA’ label,” CPA CEO Michael Stumo said in a statement. “As a result, U.S. cattle producers receive a smaller share of the consumer dollar while America’s consumers do not benefit from either price savings or important label information.”
   Canada’s recent tariffs in retaliation against U.S. Section 232 steel and aluminum duties have hit U.S. beef producers, and addressing COOL could help level the playing field for the U.S. agricultural sector, Stumo added.
   CPA generally aligns with Trump administration trade policies. Its chair, Dan DiMicco, was the head of Trump’s trade team when the administration was transitioning into power.
   The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative didn’t respond to a request for comment.