Public Citizen Calls National Trade Estimate 'Shameful'

Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch, a left-of-center critic of free trade policies, criticized the labeling of other countries' public health, food, environmental and privacy regulations as trade barriers, calling it a “shameful tradition.” The U.S. government produces an annual National Trade Estimates report that includes such information. Trade Watch says taking this approach effectively arms commercial interests to attack domestic attempts to impose similar regulations. “Whatever policies in other countries that U.S. commercial interests may find not to their liking, U.S. government officials should not be in the business of elevating special interest peeves into U.S. policy,” said Lori Wallach, director of Global Trade Watch.

Wallach said Mexico's decision to phase out Roundup and glyphosate, Europe's chemical safety regulations and the European Union's objective of reducing pesticide and fertilizer are strong public health standards, not technical barriers to trade.