A trade dispute in North America is heating up

Global Business

The World Trade Organization is about to rule on whether Canada and Mexico can impose more than $3 billion worth of tariffs on American-made products, in a long-running dispute with the U.S. over meat labeling. Pressure is now on the U.S. Senate to repeal a controversial law, and avoid all-out trade war in North America. CCTV’s Kristiaan Yeo filed this report from Canada.

More details:

  • For meat importers who buy millions of cows, pigs and chickens every year, labeling the fresh meat with its country of origin means keeping detailed records for every single foreign animal and keeping them separate from American-raised livestock.
  • Cattle farms are hugely reliant on American buyers, but these new rules have made importing Canadian cattle more difficult and more expensive.
  • Canada and Mexico were quick to lodge a complaint with the World Trade Organization, and four times the WTO has ruled against the United States.