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Audio: With U.S. Meat Exports to Canada Booming, Regulatory Agreement Offers Further Progress



 

President Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently announced details of a regulatory cooperation agreement designed to improve the flow of meat trade at the U.S.-Canada border. Last spring, joint comments on this issue were submitted by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), American Meat Institute, National Meat Association and the National Pork Producers Council, which helped play a role in shaping the tentative agreement.

Paul Clayton, USMEF senior vice president for technical services, says the organization is pleased with the progress being made on this initiative. He states that while U.S. meat generally flows smoothly into Canada, crossing the border can be more complicated than some exporters anticipate. Efforts to streamline the process are certainly welcome, especially with U.S. meat exports to Canada enjoying such a banner year. Through October, beef exports to Canada have already set new records for volume (361 million pounds) and value (nearly $862 million), while last year’s record for pork exports to Canada – 403 million pounds valued at $618 million – will likely be broken when the November results are compiled.

Specific issues receiving attention in this initiative include: implementing electronic border-related document transmission by the end of 2013; reducing duplicate meat inspections at the border; aligning U.S. and Canadian practices on the naming of meat cuts; aligning application and review processes for veterinary drug approvals and harmonizing maximum drug residue limits.

TRANSCRIPT:

Joe Schuele: This is Joe Schuele with U.S. Meat Export Federation report. President Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently announced details of regulatory cooperation agreement designed to improve of flow of meat trade at the U.S.- Canada border. Paul Clayton, USMEF senior vice president for technical services, says that organization is pleased with the progress being made on this initiative.

Paul Clayton: It is not so easy to go from state to state because you still cross an international border. So there are more details that you have to follow and hopefully this new initiative will make it little more streamlined and easier to use. We have had a pretty streamlined system to go across the border for number of years but obviously there are improvements that we can see that will benefit us. We see this initiative as provided some of those benefits, maybe making the system at the border seamless and not duplicating all our inspection procedures. We may even be able to have a cleaner system in terms of product movement as well as maybe going to an electronic document system which we are really excited about. We have been working on that in U.S. over the past couple of years.

Joe Schuele: Clayton says that while U.S. meat generally flows smoothly into Canada, crossing the border can be more complicated than some exporters anticipate. Efforts to streamline the process are certainly welcome and last spring joint comments on this issue were submitted by USMEF along with the American Meat Institute, National Meat Association and the National Pork Producers Council.

Paul Clayton: That is right, we have been evaluating the various pieces and lot of the comments were taken to heart and used in some places. So we are very pleased with being able to be a part of this initiative.

Joe Schuele: For more on this and other trade issues, please visit usmef.org.

Source: USMEF


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