U.S. “dolphin safe” labels not WTO-safe

The World Trade Organization’s appellate body issued a ruling today that the U.S. use of  "dolphin safe" labels on tuna products discriminates against Mexican producers: [B]y excluding most Mexican tuna products from access to the “dolphin-safe” label while granting access to most US tuna products and tuna products from other countries, the measure modifies the ...

By , a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies.

The World Trade Organization's appellate body issued a ruling today that the U.S. use of  "dolphin safe" labels on tuna products discriminates against Mexican producers:

The World Trade Organization’s appellate body issued a ruling today that the U.S. use of  "dolphin safe" labels on tuna products discriminates against Mexican producers:

[B]y excluding most Mexican tuna products from access to the “dolphin-safe” label while granting access to most US tuna products and tuna products from other countries, the measure modifies the conditions of competition in the US market to the detriment of Mexican tuna products…

Mexico’s WTO ambassador has declared the ruling a "big victory" that may translate into billions in new revenue for Mexican producers. For their part, WTO skeptics are already decrying the ruling as an unwarranted interference with national regulations. Public Citizen’s Lori Wallach used the ruling to warn against the Obama administration’s main trade project, the Trans-Pacific Partnership:

This case underscores why countries must insist that WTO rules be altered and that no new agreements use the same corporate backdoor deregulation model. The Obama administration must stand with the thousands of Americans who have signed a Consumer Rights Pledge calling on the U.S. to not comply with these illegitimate trade pact rulings and to stop the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations that would greatly intensify this problem.

David Bosco is a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies. He is the author of The Poseidon Project: The Struggle to Govern the World’s Oceans. Twitter: @multilateralist

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.