A World Trade Organisation challenge to new Canadian cheese production rules is looking likely after the EU, the US and New Zealand expressed their opposition to the regulations at a WTO meeting.
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Speaking today (18 March) in Geneva, New Zealand diplomats claimed Canada’s new “compositional standards” for cheese – which enter into force on 13 December – defy global Codex Alimentarius guidelines. Under WTO agreements, the Codex guidelines can be cited in any WTO dispute over food standards.
New Zealand representatives claimed incoming limits on dairy proteins within cheese sold in Canada “would restrict demand for dairy products”.
New Zealand questioned why the limits were needed, a stance the EU and the US supported.
Canadian diplomats claimed its new national standards would help consumers “by making each type of cheese more uniform”, and denied the rules would restrict trade.
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By GlobalDataHowever, the standards have also proved controversial within Canada, with the country’s dairy industry calling for change.
