Mexico City, March 14 (EFE).- The Ministry of Economy (SE) of Mexico rejected this Thursday the final labeling rule for meat, poultry and egg products announced on last Monday in the United States for considering it “discriminatory” with Mexican producers and create barriers in binational production chains.
“The Ministry of Economy rejects the recent announcement of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA, for its acronym in English) regarding the finalization of the procedure for the 'Product of USA' labeling rule,” the agency condemned in a statement.
In particular, at Mexican exports of live cattle and beef and its derivatives, which, in 2023, amounted to 3,000 million dollars (2,758 million euros, at today's exchange rate).
The HE This was his response to the announcement made by the USDA, which indicated that labeling “Product of USA” either “Product of the USA” It will be exclusive when the products are derived from animals born, raised, slaughtered and processed in that country.
The agency emphasized that this measure threatens to generate disruptive effects in food chains, as well as logistical complications and additional costs, which, ultimately, Mexican producers would end up paying. “but especially American consumers.”
He also stated that this measure violates the principles of economic integration that underpin the Mexico, United States and Canada Treaty (T-MEC), “and it is counterproductive at a time when the productive chain between the three North American nations has intensified like never before.”
Likewise, he urged the US authorities to reconsider this rule and intensify the dialogue with their Mexican counterparts to avoid negative repercussions on bilateral trade.
He recalled that origin labeling has been a recurring theme in the trade relationship, since since 2002, a measure of this nature promoted by the United States was declared inadmissible by the OWorld Trade Organization (WTO).
“At that time, the final resolution quantified the impact on Mexico at 227 million dollars. Years later, the United States decided to withdraw the measure in order to comply with the ruling and avoid the imposition of costly retaliations,” the statement explained.
He reiterated his commitment to constructive dialogue to resolve differences with the United States whom he described as “your main business partner”.
Finally, he warned that he “carefully” analyzes the possibility of using the mechanisms available both in the T-MEC as in the WTO with the objective of ensuring that the United States meets its commitments on Technical Barriers to Trade.
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