For Immediate Release
May 16, 2012
Contact: Dan Byrnes, (202) 495-3039
World Trade Organization
Rules Against Dolphin-Safe Standards
Geneva – Today, the World Trade Organization (WTO) Appellate Body
found that the popular and successful dolphin-safe tuna labeling program
violates trade rules. Mexico brought the WTO case against the U.S. in 2008.
The U.S. will now have to decide how to comply with the WTO’s
decision. This could include allowing Mexico to use dolphin-safe labels without
changing their harmful fishing practices or imposing the labeling program
requirements all around the globe, an untargeted method that would be very costly
and inefficient.
In response, Margrete
Strand Rangnes, Labor and Trade Director for the Sierra Club, issued the
following statement:
“Since the dolphin-safe tuna label program started in 1990,
dolphin deaths in the tuna industry have been reduced by a remarkable 98
percent. Today’s WTO decision is a huge disappointment which could weaken the
conservation of dolphins and broader environmental protection.
“Consumers have the right to know what they’re eating, and the
fact that an unaccountable trade tribunal in Geneva is interfering with a
successful, non-discriminatory and voluntary labeling system is outrageous. The
WTO decision raises serious questions for the future of other legitimate
labeling programs and opens the door to further attacks on consumer protections
and environmental standards.
“This ruling is especially troubling in light of the negotiations
that are currently taking place for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a massive
new trade agreement that would have far-reaching implications for citizens and
economies across the globe. These negotiations are happening in great secrecy,
but every indication shows that programs like the dolphin-safe label could be
vulnerable to similar attacks under this agreement.
“Trade laws should not be used to weaken standards that protect
consumers and our environment. The Sierra Club urges U.S. government to
continue their work to defend the dolphin-safe labeling program and other
programs like it.”
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