Market access for Canadian beef to Ukraine established

Jul 23, 2015

Tariffs could be removed on many agricultural products

In an effort to continue establishing Canada’s role as an attractive trade partner when it comes to agricultural exports, the Canadian government established market access for beef in Ukraine.

The access applies to beef from cattle under 30 months and ready-to-eat meat; it comes after Ukraine banned Canadian beef in 2014.

Import & Export

"Our Government continues to work closely with industry to open, re-open and expand new markets for our quality Canadian products,” said Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. “Strengthening trade with Ukraine is another step towards ensuring producers can earn their living from the marketplace, and ultimately helps create jobs, growth and prosperity for all Canadians.”

The establishment of Canadian beef in Ukraine is another step being taken by Prime Minister Harper and Ukranian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk in negotiating a Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement. Doing so will eliminate Ukraine’s tariffs on beef, pork, pulses, grains, canola oil, processed foods and animal feed.

"I am very pleased that the Canadian government has completed the negotiation of a free trade agreement with Ukraine,” said Joe Reda, President of Canadian Meat Council. “A survey of Canada's meat processors has confirmed the existence of significant long term interest in trade with Ukraine, not only as a supplier of high quality protein to Ukraine's 45 million citizens, but also in the context of Ukraine's access to the European Union and its trade with the countries of Eastern Europe.”

Canada and Ukraine:

Total trade between the two was around $347 million from 2011-2013
Canada exported $35.5 million worth of agriculture and agri-food products to Ukraine in 2014
Ukraine imported $17.1 million worth of global beef in 2014

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.