The new free-trade agreement between Canada and Korea is expected to be very important for the beef industry.
Korea was a $40-million market for Canadian beef in 2002, the year before the first case of BSE was discovered in Canada. In the 10 years since the BSE crisis, that value has dropped to $7.8 million.
"Korea was definitely a major market of ours, pre-BSE, and trying to get back into that market has taken quite a long time," said Jack Hextall, the new Chairman of the Board for Canada Beef. "All of the regulatory and the policy aspect of market access is what the Canadian cattlemen's Association deals with, and Canada Beef essentially deals with the part after we have access, and when it's time to go to market, it's our role then to move in and start work on the market development and promotion side."
Hextall adds they've always had a presence in Korea, and through their Asian hub, they will be working in Korea and building on the work that has been done through the years.
"It's going to be a big job here," he added. "We've got a great team and a great staff, and I think as we work on branding and market development of the Canadian beef advantage, I think we're all very excited about the opportunities that we have."
Hextall says Canada Beef has a number of employees working on market development in different markets that are important for their industry.