Saskatchewan premier hopeful U.S. meat-labelling law will be repealed

REGINA – Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall says proposed U.S. legislation that would repeal a meat-labelling law is hopeful news.

Wall says the province has long wanted the United States to get rid of mandatory country-of-origin labelling, known as COOL, on beef and pork.

The labelling law is blamed for reducing Canadian cross-border meat exports by half and costing the western Canadian beef industry $1 billion a year.

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The premier says repealing the law would increase beef and pork exports and have an almost immediate impact on Canadian cattle producers.

The reference to meat labels is part of expansive funding legislation that still needs to pass both chambers of Congress and get signed by the president.

Wall says no one wants to jinx anything, but he thinks people are optimistic that COOL will be repealed.