Beef free trade pact signed by Canada, EU
CBC News | Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Beef free trade pact signed by Canada, EU
Canadian beef exporters have won access to European meat markets after a landmark trade deal between Ottawa and the EU.
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Minister of International Trade Peter Van Loan announced Tuesday that Canada and the European Union have agreed to allow Canadian beef farmers duty-free access to the European market.
The deal allows for duty-free access to European buyers for the first 20,000 tonnes of beef. The move could be worth as much as $10 million a year to Canada’s beef industry.
"Our government continues to open important markets, like the European Union, for Canadian businesses and workers," Van Loan said. "Canadians compete with the best in the world. Expanding beef access to the European Union shows our government’s continuing support for their efforts in global markets."
Ottawa also signed a memorandum of understanding with the European Commission on a long-standing dispute over hormones in beef. This understanding will ultimately add 3,200 tonnes to the current 20,000-tonne quota and provides compensation for the EU’s ban on beef from animals administered growth hormones, the government said in a release.
Under the terms of this MOU, Canadian access to this most-favoured nation quota is for beef from animals not administered growth hormones that comply with the relevant EU import requirements. Beef from animals treated with growth hormones is approved for use in Canada.
