Canadian pork, beef exports to China to resume after a four-month suspension

Nov 5, 2019 | 11:32 AM

OTTAWA – Beef producers are ecstatic. Effective Tuesday (Nov 5), Canadian meat export certificates to China resumed.

Export certificates for Canadian meat were halted on June 25th, due to the discovery of non-compliant pork claiming to be Canadian. There was also suspicion that the suspension was coming amid the dispute over Canada’s detention of a top executive from the Chinese tech company Huawei.

Since June, the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association has been actively engaged in discussions with government officials to help assure China of the safety of Canadian beef in order to resume access as soon as possible.

The Government of Canada completed an investigation and submitted an Action Plan that has led to the re-establishment of exports to China, which means all establishments eligible to export as of June 25, are once again eligible.

In September, the Canadian Meat Council said the suspension of beef and pork exports had cost Canadian farmers cost almost 100 million dollars during the four month suspension.

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Last year, Canadian beef exports alone to Mainland China were up 19 per cent in volume and 15 per cent in value, at $97 million.

Bob Lowe, Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) Vice President and Chair of the Foreign Trade committee stated, “The Canadian beef industry looks forward to the resumption of trade and continuing to build the long-standing Canada-China trade relationship.”

The CCA and other industry stakeholders will be in China in the coming weeks of November to continue to build on the Canada-China trade relationship.

Meanwhile, China still bans the import of Canadian canola seed, over what they allege is contamination.

That dispute has made its way to the World Trade Organization.

by Dori Modney