The president of the Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association says Canadian producers have a lot of friends south of the border when it comes to country-of-origin labelling.
Dar Giess said after a Nov. 26 meeting of producers from Saskatchewan, Colorado, Nebraska, Montana and Minnesota that producers in his state are in favour of free trade.
COOL has already hurt his state’s packing industry. Last summer, a 300-head-per-day packer in St. Paul shut down and consolidated operations in Long Prairie because of a lack of supply.
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“We need those cattle to come down to be processed,” he told re-porters in Regina.
“This is part of our industry. It puts together a lot of income for our state.”
Giess, who made his comments before the U.S. announced it would appeal the latest World Trade Organization ruling, said he had some hope that the government would fix the policy.
“You have a lot of friends on our side of the border that really want to get this thing right,” he said.
However, he said there are members of Congress, even in Minnesota, who want mandatory labeling and aren’t aware of all the implications.
“I think we have to spend a little more time with these guys and make sure they understand what’s going to happen,” Giess said.
He said many Americans don’t take the threat of Canadian retaliation seriously, but he believes it should and will happen.
“We are in violation of the WTO agreement,” he said.
Canadian and American producers meet annually during Canadian Western Agribition to discuss issues of mutual concern.
