Canada’s red meat livestock sector is monitoring developments after the USDA’s announcement of the final “Product of the USA” rule.
Coming into effect in 2026, only beef and pork products derived from animals that have been born, raised, slaughtered, and processed on American soil would qualify for the new “Product of the USA” label.
The Canadian Pork Council and Cattle Association say that these rules are among the most strict in the world and resemble the mandatory country-of-origin labeling rules, which were abolished in 2015.
The Executive VP of the Canadian Cattle Association says that this could largely disrupt trade.
“It’s a big issue for many feeders in Texas, Kansas, and Nebraska that bring a lot of Canadian feeder animals. This rule basically disqualifies that trade, which has been pretty important to a number of U.S. producers as well,” Dennis Laycraft explains.
He says that as we get closer to 2026, when the rule goes into effect, he thinks that the American industry will see the rules as extremely complicated for all involved.
