REGINA – Eight years in to a battle over labelling of Canadian meat south of the border, Saskatchewan’s agriculture minister believes there’s only a “50-50” shot the law will be scrapped.
“I’ve been beat up on this file long enough now, that’s about as optimistic as I can get,” Lyle Stewart said.
But with a new omnibus bill expected to include a repeal of country-of-origin labelling, better known as COOL, the lobby group representing the province in Washington, D.C. is striking a more positive tone.
“We deserve a good run of wins.” – Sask. Cattlemen’s Association
“A fix that will hopefully prevent retaliatory measures from Canada and Mexico is in the works on Capitol Hill,” said Tom Sullivan, a lawyer for Nelson Mullins who represents Saskatchewan interests in the United States.”We’re confident members of Congress will make the right decision.”
U.S. rules on country-of-origin labels have been enforced since 2008. Proponents say it’s a fair way of letting consumers know where their food comes from.
But Saskatchewan cattle producers believe it’s a protectionist measure and say it’s costing them as much as $50 million per year.
“Anything that knocks out the profitability of your industry makes all those other things you could be doing more attractive,” said Ryder Lee, the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association CEO.
READ MORE: Four ways meat labelling changes could benefit Sask.
Herds are already shrinking, with 27 per cent fewer cattle in Saskatchewan since 2008 – a stretch that has tested the industry’s resolve.
“The prices of the last couple years are somewhat of a reward, but boy … we deserve a good run of wins.”
If the labelling law isn’t repealed, Saskatchewan officials will be banging on our federal government’s door to retaliate with sanctions on American exports.
Last week, the World Trade Organization sided with Canada and Mexico in the dispute, opening the door to the imminent imposition of tariffs on American goods including meat, wine and frozen orange juice.
“Nobody wants that,” Stewart said. “But as a sovereign nation, I think we have to protect our business interest.”
Whether those measures will be necessary should become more clear by Thursday.
With files from The Canadian Press
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