Northwest Iowa — Pork Producers are urging Congress to repeal mandatory country of origin labeling, or COOL, following the World Trade Organization decision this week to impose over a billion dollars in retaliatory damages for the labeling provision for beef, pork, and poultry.
National Pork Producers Council President-elect John Weber is a producer from Dysart, Iowa, who says COOL is like being billed a billion dollars.
The World Trade Organization says Canada and Mexico can impose more than $1 billion worth of retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products in response to COOL. The U.S. House voted in June to repeal COOL but the Senate has yet to take up the measure. Weber says once the damages are implemented it’ll be very difficult and time-consuming to remove them.
That’s why Weber says he’s hoping the Senate will take action before the holiday break.
Iowa leads the nation in pork production and ranks in the top 10 for beef production.
