OTTAWA, Ontario – Canada’s meat packing and processing industry welcomes the signature of the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). The Agreement was signed in Brussels today by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, European Council President Donald Tusk, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, and Prime Minister of Slovakia and European Union Council President Robert Fico. Provided outstanding technical barriers can be resolved, the CETA offers the possibility of a significant increase in Canadian meat product exports to the European Union.
The 28-country European Union, with a population of 500 million, is both the world’s largest exporter (C$188 billion) and largest importer (C$166 billion) of agriculture and agri-food products. However, imports of consumer-oriented items such as meat continue to confront significant tariff and non-tariff trade barriers.
“The Canadian meat industry supports a CETA that allows for trade in meat products consistent with the provisions of the Canadian and EU tariff schedules that were envisaged and agreed by the negotiators. However, commercially viable access will be realized only when the associated technical negotiations have been concluded successfully,” said Canadian Meat Council President Troy Warren.
“The meat industry is engaged in active partnership with the Canadian government toward the achievement of the commercially viable market access commitment. We would ask that the Canadian and EU governments move forward quickly and simultaneously on both the ratification of the CETA and the pre-requisite resolution of the outstanding technical barriers,” added Warren.
Provided the remaining technical barriers can be addressed successfully during the ongoing technical negotiations, the CETA will provide for: duty-free exports of 81,011 tonnes of Canadian pork; duty-free exports of 64,950 tonnes of Canadian beef and veal; duty-free exports of 3,000 tonnes of Canadian bison meat; unlimited duty-free exports of Canadian horsemeat; and, unlimited duty-free exports of Canadian prepared meats. Conversely, on the date of entry into force of the CETA, the EU will: retain unlimited duty-free access to the Canadian market for pork; obtain unlimited duty-free access for beef and veal; and, receive reciprocal unlimited duty-free access for prepared meats.
The Canadian meat processing industry includes some 400 federally registered establishments that not only provide safe, high quality protein for Canadian consumers, but also add jobs and contribute significantly to local economic activity in both rural and urban Canada. With annual sales of $24 billion, exports of $5.7 billion, and 65,000 jobs, the Canadian meat industry is the largest component of this country’s food processing sector.
The Canadian Meat Council has been representing Canada’s federally inspected meat processing industry since 1919.
For more information, contact:
Ron Davidson
Director, Government and Media Relations
613-729-3911, ext 26
Source: The Canadian Meat Council