Tag: beef
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U.S. Appeals WTO’s Stance on COOL Regulations
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has appealed a ruling made by a World Trade Organization (WTO) panel against the United States in a dispute with Mexico and Canada over country-of-origin labeling (COOL) laws for beef and pork products. Responding to complaints filed by Canada and Mexico, WTO’s Dispute Settlement Panel ruled in…
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U.S., Canada and EU Agree to End Beef Growth Hormone Rift
According to news sources, a 25-year-old trade dispute pitting European Union (EU) laws prohibiting the import of beef treated with growth hormones and U.S. and Canadian trade sanctions imposing hundreds of millions of dollars of duties on EU exports of Roquefort cheese, truffles, chocolates, and other comestibles has been resolved. The U.S. and Canadian tariffs…
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GAO Report Urges Preslaughter Inventions to Reduce E. Coli
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a March 2012 report urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to adopt several measures to reduce Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in cattle before they are slaughtered. According to GAO, USDA currently recognizes bacteriophages, probiotics, vaccines, and sodium chlorate as preslaughter interventions able to control STEC,…
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White House Urged to Appeal WTO Ruling on COOL Regulations
Several consumer organizations have called on President Barack Obama (D) to appeal a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling that favored Canada and Mexico in a dispute over U.S. country-of-origin-labeling (COOL) requirements for beef and pork products. In their February 24, 2012, letter, Consumers Union, Food & Water Watch, Public Citizen, and the Consumer Federation of…
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Court Affirms $2 Million Supply Chain Damages Award from 2008 Contaminated Beef Recall
A federal court in Minnesota has determined that General Mills Operations, LLC was entitled to an award of prejudgment interest of 10 percent per year from the date it provided a written notice of claim to the company that supplied it with contaminated beef products subject to a recall in 2008. Gen. Mills Operations, LLC…
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WTO Rebuffs U.S. COOL Regulations
A World Trade Organization (WTO) panel has issued a ruling against the United States in a dispute with Mexico and Canada over country-of-origin labeling (COOL) regulations for beef and pork products. According to the November 18, 2011, panel report, Canada and Mexico filed complaints arguing that U.S. COOL regulations enacted in 2008 afford “imported livestock…
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Certified Organic Beef Ranchers Sue Government for Herbicide Spraying
Alleging that a government contractor sprayed an herbicide on their property as part of transmission-line maintenance, the owners of a state-certified organic beef farm in Skagit County, Washington, have sued the U.S. government and the contractor for damages incurred by the contamination of their property. Benson v. United States, No. 11-1619 (W.D. Wash., filed September…
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Radioactive Beef Confirmed in Japan
Japanese officials have reportedly confirmed that beef registering up to seven times more radioactive cesium than permitted has entered the food supply, raising concerns among consumers about the country’s safety precautions. The first batch of tainted beef apparently came from six cattle farmed within 18 miles of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which was…