World Trade Organization ministers meeting in Geneva this week held a two day hearing to hear arguments for and against the re written U.S. country of Origin Labeling law.  Canadian and Mexican officials say the rewritten regulation is out of compliance with WTO rules while the U.S. says it is not.  Canadian Cattlemen’s Director of Government and International Relations John Masswohl says U.S. trade representative attorneys admitted they’re not in compliance.

Masswohl expects the WTO to rule sometime this June.

Masswohl says after the June decision, whoever loses will likely appeal, another hearing will have to be held which won’t happen until the end of this year. He says his country has prepared a list of U.S. good they’ll retaliate against and if that happens, it would be next summer and would include beef and pork.

He says Canada is the top U.S. beef export market and Mexico rates high as well so any retaliatory tariffs would have a big impact.