Canada: CMC was discouraged by the access achieved for meat products in the latest trade deal

This agreement will significantly impact Canada’s access to the UK beef, pork and veal market and is unwelcome news for Canadian federally licensed meat processors. "The Canadian beef, pork and veal sectors have not benefitted from reciprocal access to the UK market in past agreements", said Chris White, President and CEO, Canadian Meat Council (CMC). "Given the very negative experience with the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), CMC’s members want to avoid replicating that performance, which is a loss of market to a bilateral trading partner, without some corresponding and offsetting benefit". The biggest obstacles CMC’s members face are the UK’s non-science based insistence on hormone free beef and the non-acceptance of the Canadian meat inspection system, which is otherwise recognized through full systems approval by almost every country Canada exports to. CMC has traditionally supported Canada’s negotiations with the UK to ensure ...