Canada expands agri-food market access in China

Dec 08, 2017

Trade is a priority for the Government of Canada as a key driver of the economy, helping to creating new market opportunities for Canadian businesses, including for Canada’s farmers and food processors.

Ongoing efforts by the Government of Canada to strengthen trade ties with China, including the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s trade mission to that country which wrapped up today, have helped secure expanded market access for Canadian pork and beef to China.

The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, and the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of International Trade, underscored the importance of the announcement that Canada and China are committed to increasing access for Canadian agricultural products to Chinese markets, which will help Canadian farmers by creating growth in the agricultural sector.

Agricultural developments are as follows:

The launching of a pilot project for the export of Canadian chilled/fresh meat (beef and pork) to China. The pilot project allows for the export of chilled/fresh meat to China originating from Canadian establishments approved to participate in the pilot project.
China has approved the import of frozen bone-in beef in accordance with the 2016 agreement to work towards expanded market access to China for Canada’s beef products.
As distribution chains and marketing in China for Canadian chilled and frozen meat products are developed, Canadian meat industry estimates the increased export values could be upwards of $100 million for pork and $125 million for beef over the next five years.

This expanded access and ongoing exploratory discussions towards a comprehensive trade agreement help the Government of Canada’s twin goals to grow Canada’s agri-food exports to at least $75 billion annually by 2025, and to double bilateral trade with China by 2025.

Source: AAFC

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.