WTO rules against U.S. dolphin-safe canned tuna labels

[Little Tich]

Source: Yahoo! News / Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The World Trade Organization found on Tuesday that U.S. rules on dolphin-safe labels for canned tuna run counter to international trade laws, siding with Mexico in a long-running dispute and opening the door to retaliation against U.S. exports.

The ruling, which the United States said it would appeal, upholds Mexico's complaint that revamped U.S. labeling rules are still discriminatory because they disqualify Mexican tuna from bearing dolphin-safe labels, unlike other countries' tuna.

"We recommend that the dispute settlement body request the United States bring its measure, which we have found to be inconsistent with (the WTO rules) ... into conformity with its obligations," the WTO panel said.

In a statement, Mexico's economy ministry applauded the WTO decision, adding it could eventually take measures against the United States if any possible appeal process were to back the latest resolution.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/wto-rules-against-u-dolphin-safe-canned-tuna-142117651.html

[djean111]

1. he TPP will just ramp this stuff up.

No country of origin labels, Mmmmmm - filthy Vietnamese shrimp!

[840high]

6. You are correct.

[madfloridian]

2. Here we go.

Imagine things get worse with TPP.

[GoneFishin]

3. Under the TPP ISDS provisions they will likely be able to sue for anything. I can contrive an

argument against almost any consumer protection rule, framed as a lost profits argument. Lawyers and corporations with the possibility of extorting vastly increased profits will be way more motivated and tediously sleazy in their quest for endless profits.

[Wilms]

4. I hesitate to look up other rulings made by that court.

Free trade is everything critics said it would be.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

15. Free Trade = Free to do whatever the fuck you want.

[MJJP21]

5. Dolphin safe

I don't want the tuna can to say "dolphin safe" . I want the tuna can to say "dolphin free". Sometimes I really don't think tuna is in the can.

[freshwest]

9. I read here that some of it isn't tuna, it's monkfish. Another reason not to buy slave produced Thai

seafood products. There are other reasons to not buy seafood, too.

[midnight]

7. kick

[Geronimoe]

8. I thought the WTO had ended

They sure don't have their meetings like they use to after Seattle protests.

Anyway. consumers can still boycott canned dolphins.

President Bill Clinton paved the way for China to join the WTO.

[cui bono]

10. Why is the US standing up for this labeling but we can't get GMO labeling?

Of beef labeling? I remember a story about a rancher who was not allowed to label his beef as being from from Mad Cow Disease because other ranchers were complaining it made their beef look bad.

[Nihil]

17. It's all about the profits and nothing about the health (of anything).

Purely on the profits (and hence the bribe level from the industry that "persuades" the politicians).

And yes, this is going to spiral downwards with the every popular TPP scam being pushed through.

[freshwest]

11. I've read here that Obama has never lost a case with the WTO. This one is part of a larger concern:

http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/economy-budget/221589-consumers-win-as-wto-condemns-protectionist-meat-labels

In order to protect American workers and union jobs Obama has won, the result of some quick googling:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141012901

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014272078

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014159436

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002958217

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3757203

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002419556

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/05/us-china-usa-tyres-idUSTRE7842EH20110905

Got to go.

[Little Tich]

12. Why would it be wrong to label the country of origin for meat?

Besides some countries feeds hormones to their cattle, and there ought to be a chance to opt out if you don’t like artificial hormones in your meat.

[freshwest]

13. I didn't like the loss of COO either. The claim at link is the standards will the same,

which is the point of advocates of COO labeling, but from the other direction, which a careful read will show.

I fortunately live in an area where, while our state does not mandate organic labeling, still consumer choice is powerful. We get COO labeling if we look for it, and are big on more local foods grown in our state or Oregon. I won't eat anything from China, which is labeled here, or even Mexico. The discerning shopper knows where to look if they can.

Those who don't care, or can't pick because they can't afford to, must take whatever they can get. Food is expensive here. We also have a short growing season, not even sun and sometimes because of the cool and damp weather, produce rots before it is near ripeness.

We are so far removed from a simpler system with the global food system. I hate it and hink a lot of it is JUNK and NOT green in the long run with all that shipping. But people demand foods completely out of season and that means it will be foreign grown.

I think the food situation is a big mess, you have to be very selective if you can, to be able to afford it and to go and get it all. Much more complicated than in years past. We also have great consumer demand for non-GMO foods, so they are available, for those who choose.

I end up with things grown in our state, CA or OR, at times from B.C. or Australia. They have the USDA and nutrition facts on the labels, even from Australia. You take your chances with the food from China.

[djean111]

14. Because to do so might make consumers decide to not buy that meat, if they

believe it has growth hormones, for example. Basically, corporations are stacking this particular deck so that nothing on a label would inform a buyer of anything except what is in the package. Nothing about country of origin, GMO, whatever. Right now I won't buy shrimp from Vietnam - or anyone around there - because I have read about the filthy conditions the shrimp are raised in. With the TPP, shrimp would not be labeled as coming from Vietnam, so I would either have to trust that the shrimp is clean, or just not buy shrimp, or get my shrimp mail ordered from somewhere safe.

It is all about profits.

[Sunlei]

16. how about a 'DNA tested' label '100% tuna'