It is not a large market, but both the federal government and the Canadian livestock industry argue that every market counts.
On April 1, beef and pork exporters acquired easier access to the growing market in Panama, a Central American company with a growing appetite for imported food.
A free trade deal signed in 2010 and approved by a divided House of Commons last year after a long debate took effect this week. New Democrats, Bloc Québecois and Green party leader Elizabeth May opposed it while Conservatives and Liberals supported it.
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The federal trade department said tariffs of up to 70 percent on some pork products and up to 30 percent on some beef products are immediately eliminated, as well as a 20 percent tariff on Canadian french fries.
Agricultural exports account for a small portion of last year’s $92 million in total exports to Panama, but the industry says it has growth potential.
Other tariffs will be eliminated over five to 15 years.
Last year during the final House of Commons debate on the free trade bill, trade committee chair Rob Merrifield said a 15 percent tariff on pulse exports also will be eliminated as well as a 10 percent tariff on malt barley.
