Cereals Canada is renewing its call for the Canadian government to seek World Trade Organization (WTO) involvement against Country of Origin Labelling (COOL) in Italy.

This after the government asked for WTO dispute resolution against China for their restrictions on Canadian canola exports.

The durum value chain has been calling for WTO action to resolve Italian mCOOL for the past two years.

“Italy was once the largest market for Canadian durum, the wheat used to make pasta," said Cereals Canada President Cam Dahl. "Since mCOOL has been brought in Canadian farmers have lost sixty percent of this market. We urge the Government of Canada to stand up against and use all available tools to challenge the Italian regulations that effectively discriminate against Canadian products.”

Dahl added that the loss of the Italian durum market happened after the agricultural provisions of the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement with Europe came into effect.

“We need to do more than sign trade agreements. We need to place a priority on making sure trade agreements actually work," he said. "Failure to challenge the Italian regulations will encourage other countries with trade protectionist goals to utilize similar means to block Canadian exports. The time to challenge these non-tariff barriers is now, before further proliferation of this protectionist tool."