MEXICO CITY – Mexico’s Economy Ministry announced it plans to defend a World Trade Organization ruling against meat labeling requirements. The United States said March 23 that it would appeal the ruling.

A WTO panel ruled against the COOL provision saying it violated technical barriers to trade. Canada and Mexico, which brought the case to the WTO, applauded the decision, arguing that shipments of cattle and hogs from those countries declined sharply after COOL went into effect.