Canadian Cattlemen's Association Says China Ban Hurts, But It's Been Worse For Pork

Sep 09, 2019

Canada stopped issuing meat export certificates upon China's request back in June, after Chinese customs claimed to discover a shipment of non-Canadian pork exhibiting technical irregularities and fraudulently certified as Canadian.

Canadian Cattlemen's Association Senior Manager of Government and International Relations, Fawn Jackson, says the beef industry has been able to weather the storm better than pork.

"We're not exporting as much beef to China as they export pork, but we also have access to a number of other markets around the world including those in the Asian region."

Through the CPTPP trade agreement, Canada's beef industry has seen growth in the Japanese market according to Jackson, as well as in Europe through the CETA trade agreement.

However, she says the big concern comes from the lost opportunity in China, as there's strong demand for Canadian beef.

"Canada has done what we need to do on our side to reinforce our export systems, and so now we're waiting to hear back from China that those are recognized and that we're ready to resume trade."

In the meantime, she says they've established a working group with Government staff and red meat industry stakeholders, looking for a solution to resume trade with China and diversify exports, similar to the group established by the canola industry.

Click here to see more...

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.