Following is a statement from Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) President Ron Bonnett regarding the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which was signed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and European Union leaders yesterday in Brussels.
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"The Canadian Federation of Agriculture commends the federal government and its team of negotiators for their focus and dedication that resulted in the signing of CETA by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and European Union leaders yesterday in Brussels.
This is a very positive step that could allow Canadian agricultural exporters to capture significant business opportunities throughout the EU's 28 member countries, representing access to more than 500 million consumers.
CFA is supportive of the deal, provided that:
• Agricultural exporters can take full advantage of the market access concessions that were negotiated
• Safeguards guaranteed to farmers in Belgium do not impede new market access for Canadian farmers
• The federal government fully mitigate CETA's impact to the Canadian dairy industry as a result of the EU's new access that allows it to sell 17,000 tonnes of cheese into the Canadian market
Farm leaders urge the government to clarify its position on these points while CETA moves through the steps toward ratification in Canadian and EU members' legislatures over the coming months.
CFA calls for the government to continue its support for balanced trade approach that strengthens and supports all of the commodities that make up Canada's diverse agricultural sector."
Source: CFA.FCA