Hard Work Begins to Re-Establish Korean Beef Market

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.

 

Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.