The United States has appealed the World Trade Organization’s (WTO’s) ruling in favor of Canada and Mexico in a dispute over U.S. country-of-origin labeling (COOL) regulations requiring pork and beef products originating outside the U.S. to carry labels specifying their sources, according to Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP, a global law firm.
The appeal notification circulated to WTO members indicated that the U.S. has challenged several of the panel’s findings, including that the detrimental impact does not stem exclusively from legitimate regulatory distinctions because “the amended COOL measure entails an increased recordkeeping burden and increased segregation,” “the current labels provided by the amended COOL measure have a potential for label inaccuracy,” and “the amended COOL measure continues to exempt a large proportion of muscle cuts.” Appeals are heard by three members of a permanent seven-member appellate body unaffiliated with any government, and the appellate body generally has three months to conclude its report.
