Australia has joined the US in a complaint about “discriminatory” wine sales in Canada to the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
According to the formal objection lodged with WTO, Canada has placed “protectionist” rules on the sales of imported wine that unfairly disadvantage wines produced overseas. The US made a similar complaint last year.
The complaint relates to different rules for the sale of local and imported wines in some Canadian provinces that discriminate against the latter.
Canada is currently Australia's fourth largest export market for wine, and is Australia's highest value bilateral export to Canada at $190 million in the year ended September 2016. Australia is Canada's third largest source of imported wine.
