Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has tweeted that Canadian pork and beef exports to China will resume.
China banned meat exports from Canada earlier this year, after Chinese officials say they discovered counterfeit paperwork.
We'll have more on this story as it develops.
Canadian pork producers are pleased that the issues preventing the export of pork products to China have been resolved. The market is an important one for producers that has been closed since exports were suspended on June 25, 2019.
“We are very appreciative of the efforts of government officials to help restore reliable access to China” said Rick Bergmann, Canadian Pork Council (CPC) Chair. “We’d like to thank Canadian Agriculture and Agri-food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and International Trade Diversification Minister Jim Carr for the leadership they have shown in working to resolve this issue. We look forward to working with Ambassador Barton to further strengthen Canadian-Chinese relations”.
This news is very timely as Chinese pork supplies have been significantly reduced by an outbreak of African swine fever. “Producers look forward to help meet the demands of Chinese consumers for wholesome, high-quality pork” added René Roy, CPC’s Second Vice-Chair.
CPC’s First Vice-Chair Hans Kristensen will travel to China next week with representatives from Canada’s red meat industry including Canada Pork International and the Canadian Meat Council. “This mission to China is very timely and will allow us to deepen our understanding of the market’s requirements and strengthen our relationships with Chinese importers” explained Mr. Kristensen.
China is a very important market for Canadian producers. In 2018, Canada’s pork exports totalled almost $4 billion, of which $514 million was exported to China making it our third-largest export market.
The Canadian Cattlemen's Association also released a statement:
The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) has learned that effective today Canadian meat export certificates to China will be resumed. “The Canadian beef industry looks forward to the resumption of trade and continuing to build the long-standing Canada-China trade relationship,” said Bob Lowe, CCA Vice President and Chair of the Foreign Trade committee. The CCA thanks the Governments of Canada and China for their work in resolving the issue.
Export certificates for Canadian meat were halted on June 25th, 2019 due to the discovery of non-compliant pork claiming to be Canadian. Since June, CCA 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; all establishments eligible to export as of June 25, 2019, are once again eligible.
Shipments of Canadian beef to China represented 2.6 per cent of Canada’s total beef exports last year. In 2018, Canadian beef exports to Mainland China were up 19 per cent in volume and 15 per cent in value at 10,300 tonnes valued at $97 million. In the 1st half of 2019 exports to China were up 299% in volume and 271% in value at 11,315 tonnes valued at $96 million.
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.
Thu, Apr 25, 9:30 AM
