In a long-running international trade dispute that Canada and Mexico filed against the United States, a compliance panel of the World Trade Organization has issued a report declaring U.S. country of origin labeling rules for certain cuts of meat as noncompliant with international trade requirements.
If the U.S. appeals the panel’s report, as expected, and WTO denies the appeal, Mexico and Canada would be authorized to impose retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products.
Late last year, Canada announced its intent to impose 100% retaliatory tariffs on certain products, including mattresses. To address this dispute, the International Sleep Products Association is a member of the COOL Reform Coalition. The coalition’s goal is to promote compliance with international trade obligations to avoid retaliatory tariffs.
To date, the coalition has met with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and numerous Congressional offices, and sent letters to Congressional committees seeking a resolution to this issue. ISPA will continue to advocate against trade policies that unfairly target the mattress industry.
