US faces $1 billion in trade penalties for meat labels

WASHINGTON (AP) ' The World Trade Organization ruled Monday that Canada and Mexico can slap more than $1 billion in tariffs on U.S. goods in retaliation for meat labeling rules it says discriminated against Mexican and Canadian livestock.At issue were U.S. labels on packaged steaks and other cuts of meat that say where the animals were born, raised and slaughtered.The WTO has previously found that the so-called "country of origin" labeling rules put Canadian and Mexican livestock at a disadvantage. It ruled Monday that Canada could impose $780 million in retaliatory tariffs and Mexico could impose $228 million.The labels, which allow consumers to learn where their meat came from, were supported by U.S. ranchers who compete with Canada. But they were opposed by meatpackers who said they required costly paperwork.Join the conversation about this story
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