The House of Commons international trade committee has sharply criticized the United States Department of Agriculture for how it plans to review the impact of country-of-origin labelling regulations.
In a report on Canada-U.S. trade relations tabled in the House of Commons before it adjourned for the summer in June, MPs on the committee said during a visit to Washington, they were briefed on the six to nine month review that will look at the impact on industry and the response of consumers and industry to the measures.
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They said the terms of the review are unfocused, unclear and lacking transparency.
“Committee members were harshly critical of the execution of this review and made their opinions known to USDA representatives,” said the report.
“Members argued that the review process did not appear to have a specific plan or methodology and that it was far from clear what exactly the focus of the review was – the COOL legislation as implemented or the ‘voluntary’ measures imposed thereafter.”
The committee said it was told agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack “believes in science-based solutions to agriculture issues and problems.”
MPs said the COOL review process fails that standard.
