Canada Govt Says South Korea Lifts Ban On Canadian Beef

Canada Govt Says South Korea Lifts Ban On Canadian Beef

The Canadian government said South Korea has lifted a nearly nine-year-long ban on Canadian beef, a move it hopes will help kick-start stalled free trade negotiations between the two countries.

South Korea will allow imports of beef from Canadian cattle below 30 months old, effective immediately. It’s welcome news for Canada’s government in a week marked by the U.S. rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline project, and allegations that a Canadian navy intelligence officer leaked information to a foreign power, reportedly Russia.

Canadian Trade Minister Ed Fast and Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced the lifting of the ban at an Alberta farm. According to industry estimates, the reopening of what had been Canada’s fourth largest market for beef could translate into annual sales of more than C$30 million for producers by 2015.

South Korea barred imports of Canadian beef after the discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad-cow disease, in a cow in Alberta in May 2003.

Canada had long argued that the ban was unjustified on a scientific basis and had taken its case to the World Trade Organization. Fast said South Korea is a “critical” trading partner for Canada and the removal of what had been a “very significant trade irritant” is a good sign.

“I think that bodes well as we move forward to explore new opportunities to actually deepen our trading relationship with South Korea,” he told reporters.

Fast said he will meet his South Korean counterpart at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland next week for a “very open and frank discussion about our trading relationship.”

“Hopefully that leads to additional movement in areas of common interest where we can indeed deepen that trade and investment relationship with South Korea,” he said. Free-trade negotiations between Canada and South Korea stalled in 2008.

South Korea is the last of Canada’s key markets in Asia to reopen its doors to Canadian beef. Fast said there’s still a lot of work to do to secure full access to all Canadian beef products.