Canada Signs New Agreements to Boost Beef Exports to China

CANADA - Canada and China have signed agreements supporting the export of beef, the agriculture and trade ministers have announced.
calendar icon 26 September 2016
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Canada and China signed a protocol to expand market access for Canadian frozen bone-in beef and have also advanced several key initiatives to support trade in Canadian pork, bovine genetics and some processed foods.

As Canada’s second-largest trading partner, China offers significant opportunities for exports. In 2015, Canadian agricultural exports to China were valued at $5.6 billion.

The Canadian cattle industry estimates that new access for bone-in beef will generate an increase in Canadian beef exports of approximately $10 million annually.

“Not only is China already the world’s largest consumer of meat products, demand for beef is projected to maintain an upward trend as Chinese consumers increase the presence of high quality beef in their diets,” said Canadian Meat Council President Joe Reda.

Canadian beef processors lost access to the Chinese market in 2003 following the identification of the first case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). In May 2011, Canada became the first BSE-infected country to gain Chinese approval for the resumption of trade for boneless, frozen beef from cattle under thirty months of age.

“Restoration of access to the Chinese market for bone-in, frozen beef products represents a major milestone on the road toward our ultimate objective: access for frozen and fresh, chilled beef products from cattle of all ages,” said Canadian Meat Council Executive Director Jim Laws.

“Not only does today’s announcement open the door for an estimated $10 million of new sales opportunities in the near term, it clears the path for intensified negotiations on the remaining steps toward full and normal trade in beef products with China,” added Mr Laws.

 

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