Dive Brief:
- Five Democratic senators from three states sent a letter last week to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), requesting that the COOL law be repealed.
- Canada and Mexico could demand retaliatory tariffs against products from the senators' states, including wine, chocolate, beef, dairy, and processed tomato products (far beyond just meat). The senators believe the tariffs will be authorized by the World Trade Organization later this month.
- In June, the House voted by a 300-131 margin to repeal COOL. A voluntary COOL act has been introduced in the Senate, but the Senate Agriculture Committee has continued to review ways to handle the trade dispute.
Dive Insight:
If the U.S. were to instate the Senate's voluntary COOL legislation, Canada said in August that retaliation was assured. At that time, North American Meat Institute CEO Barry Carpenter said the government could not "waste precious time debating proposals other than full and simple repeal. Anything else jeopardizes important segments of the US economy and ultimately our consumers."
In the letter, the five Democrats implore leadership to "resolve this trade dispute with our closest neighbors before the end of the year."
"We urge you to ensure the Senate passes legislation to avoid costly and damaging retaliatory tariffs by repealing the specific beef and pork labeling requirements found to be out of compliance with our trade obligations," the letter said.
"Canada and Mexico are the top U.S. trading partners, with U.S. exports of goods and services to those countries topping $2.34 trillion last year. Canada and Mexico are also the top trading partners for the three states represented by the five senators," according to Food Safety News.