Last week, the World Trade Organization ("WTO") rejected a U.S. appeal over USDA's controversial country-of-origin meat labeling ("COOL") requirements that Canadian and Mexican producers have been fighting since 2008. The COOL rule was an effort to help consumers make informed choices by requiring producers to label beef, pork, chicken, and other meat products to reveal where animals were born. WTO found the requirements in the final rule, issued in May 2013, violate global trade rules, specifically discriminating against Canadian and Mexican producers. Although the Obama administration has defended the COOL rules, House Agriculture Chairperson K. Michael Conway (R-TX) introduced a bill to repeal the COOL rules in an effort to avoid retaliatory tariffs against the United States, such as those recently announced by the Canadian Agricultural Minister. Last Wednesday, the House panel voted 38–6 to repeal the COOL requirements.
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