The Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, also known as CETA, has been in effect since September 21, 2017.
Director of Government and International Relations with the Canadian Cattlemen's Association (CCA) John Masswohl says there are still some technical issues that need to be solved in regards to beef trade.
"But the tariff has gone down. We know what the process is, I'm confident we'll get those technical issues dealt with."
Masswohl says producers need to become certified as raising E.U. eligible beef, so Canada can build a supply of beef which can be exported to Europe through CETA.
He says to be certified, the beef has to be raised without the use of modern growth technology, such as hormone implants.
"It's not enough to just say when you market the animal, I didn't use any of that stuff (modern growth technology). You have to be operating under a certification program which is overseen by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)."
He says producers are encouraged to talk with their veterinarian about becoming certified.
"We certainly encourage producers to talk to their veterinarian, ask their veterinarian if they are accredited by CFIA to oversee that program, if not, maybe they might suggest to the vet that the vet get accredited. We know that the CFIA is willing to train veterinarians that express an interest in being certified to oversee that program."
Source : Steinbachonline