Tag Archives: World Trade Organization
Lobsters Are A Prawn In The Trade Wars
American lobster and lobster fishers got caught in a trade war being fought on multiple fronts. The United States is battling China on one major front and the European Union (EU) on another, but as is typical in trade wars, it’s lobster production in another country that’s winning the war. In this case, Canada. If that weren’t enough, tariffs are the root cause of the trade war, but not in the way you might think. China’s tariffs on U.S. lobsters are in retaliation for President Trump’s China tariffs over intellectual property. The EU didn’t raise its tariffs on U.S. lobster, but rather lowered them on Canadian ones as part of their free trade agreement. In other words, U.S. lobsters were never meant to be the target of either Chinese or EU,,, How the lobster trade war started isn’t nearly as interesting as the efforts to stop it. >click to read< 10:28
Mexico plans immediate action on US imports after WTO tuna ruling over USA “dolphin-safe” labeling
However, the ruling could be overturned later this year if a subsequent WTO decision finds the United States has stopped discriminating against tuna caught by its southern neighbor. The World Trade Organization ruled Tuesday that Mexico’s tuna industry has been harmed by USA “dolphin-safe” labeling rules and says the country can seek retaliatory measures worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Mexico’s economy ministry said it planned immediate action to initiate the trade sanctions. Ruling on the tuna dispute, a WTO arbitrator said earlier on Tuesday that Mexico can impose annual trade sanctions worth $163.23 million against the United States. The US insists that any Mexican tuna sold in the US must be “dolphin safe”, meaning dolphins weren’t killed by tuna fisherman, which was once common. The WTO agreed and ruled that Mexico could place trade sanctions on the USA of up to $163 million a year, enough to make up Mexico’s estimated loss. “Today’s WTO decision threatens to punish USA families for the crime of having a label on tuna cans that saves dolphins’ lives”. click here to read the story 16:23
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami ‘sad’ to lose EU seal ban legal challenge
Yesterday, the Court of Justice of the European Union announced that it had dismissed a legal appeal from ITK and a group of hunters and other sealing advocates, who argued that the ban is unlawful. “We don’t have the deep pockets like the animal rights groups and that’s what’s maddening about this,” said ITK President Terry Audla. “It angers me that whoever has the deepest pockets can actually influence legislation. That’s just not right.” Last May, the World Trade Organization’s appellate body upheld a decision that linked the trade ban to moral objections against the seal hunt. Read the rest here 09:22
EU seal product ban upheld in WTO appeal
Canada has lost its bid to have a European Union ban on seal products overturned, with the 
appeals process upholding a EU decision that connected the trade ban to moral objections against the seal hunt. But Thursday’s decision, which was immediately welcomed by animal welfare groups, may spark more debate about how the controversial ban will be implemented. Read more here 14:10
Minister Aglukkaq Leads Delegation to Defend Canadian Seal Hunt at World Trade Organization
“Let me start by emphasizing that seals have been harvested around the world for thousands of years for a variety of purposes, including subsistence, commerce, and the protection of fisheries. This is especially true for Canada,,, Read more here 09:28
Ottawa files appeal of World Trade Organization ruling on EU seal products ban
OTTAWA – Ottawa has filed its appeal of a World Trade Organization ruling that says aspects of Europe’s ban on importing seal products undermine fair trade but can be justified on “public moral concerns” for animal welfare. Read more@theobserver 18:00
Baker | Fisheries issues and stories rolling like caplin
Quite often when you sit down to hammer out a few words about the fishery, or any topic for that matter, it’s sometimes tough to find a suitable topic. For example, there’s the myriad of issues around the huge and concerning free trade deal with Europe. The World Trade Organization upholding the seal product ban in Europe. There’s a $400 million pool of fish money in place. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) wants cod and redfish labelled endangered at a time when all the science says they’re on the comeback. more@cbcnews
Seal product ban in Europe upheld by WTO panel – Video
A World Trade Organization panel today upheld a European ban against Canadian seal products, even though it found the European Union had also violated international trade rules. more@cbcnews 11:31
