Stephen Heckbert, the Executive Director of the Canadian Pork Council, warns that consumers will pay more for their pork because of U.S. voluntary country of origin labelling(V-COOL).
The new rule announced recently by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will come into effect by January 1, 2026.
Under the new voluntary rule, the “Product of USA” or “Made in the USA” label claims on meat, poultry and egg products will only be allowed when those products come from animals born, raised, slaughtered and processed in the United States.
Heckbert said that this approach to labelling would disrupt the ability of pork producers in Canada and the U.S. to work together, limit the movement of pigs and products across the border and drive up pork prices.
This action comes from the U.S. government and politicians elected by American citizens, so working with the U.S. pork producers is vital.
“This is a U.S. regulatory change, and we must figure out how to work with American producers to see if we can’t get these regulations to align with what works,” said Heckbert.
Secretary Vilsack has shown interest in this for a long time, but the politics is hard to understand, creating many new problems.
“We hope that eventually common sense prevails and people understand that it is not going to deliver for consumers,” said Heckbert.
The number one problem is that consumers will pay more, and budgets are tight. Times are tough, and any government that says it’s concerned about consumer costs should do everything it can to reduce them, not increase them.
Heckbert hopes this matter can be resolved at the trade table rather than through a World Trade Organization challenge, as was the case with U.S. M-COOL repealed following a successful WTO challenge in 2015.
“Again, it’s so prescriptive for them to bring it back and have this voluntary label around it,” he said.

Canada ships many weanlings, three million from Manitoba annually, and Americans ship pork to Canada. The relationship across borders is a good example that other industries should follow.
“Regarding how cooperative we are and how much we work together, we both submitted comments to their commentary. Just leave pork out of it, and you know how that turned out.”
The current rules allow for labelling products as Products of the USA using factors like processing and packaging in the U.S. However, the new V-COOL rules require that products be born, raised, slaughtered, and processed entirely within the U.S. to use such labels. The adoption of these new labels will depend on industry uptake, as it’s a voluntary measure.
The shift in rules is a significant difference that could impact the WTO perspective. However, the critical concern is to avoid escalation into a WTO dispute but to engage in dialogue, particularly within the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (KUSMA) framework, to find common ground and avoid contentious trade issues.
This shift means that processors and retailers don’t have to only label products as ‘Product of the USA’; they do so voluntarily.
“However, if major retailers like Kroger opt to sell pork labelled as ‘Made in the USA exclusively,’ it could trigger widespread adoption of voluntary labelling, leading to strict requirements for processors and producers to meet,” said Heckbert.
The pork industry did not request these changes and is asking U.S. Ag. Secretary Vilsack to reconsider applying these rules to the pork industry.
“The industry hopes for a resolution that avoids unnecessary regulatory burdens and maintains smooth cross-border trade without compromising consumer choice.”
The Canadian Pork Council (CPC) will look to collaborate with the Canadian government regarding the country of origin labelling issue. They plan to advocate for their industry’s interests and keep the government informed about their efforts.
Additionally, they will continue to urge the government to take action on behalf of the pork industry, ensuring government addresses the industry’s concerns and that regulatory measures are fair and supportive of cross-border trade. •
— By Harry Siemens