Federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz says he personally urged his South Korean counterpart to lift that country’s restrictions on Canadian beef imports but does not yet have a firm date on when that might happen.
Speaking to reporters by conference call from Tokyo, Ritz said he reminded Lee Dong-Phil that Canada retains its controlled risk status for BSE, continues to remove specified risk material from carcasses and that no part of the Alberta cow recently found to be positive for BSE entered the food chain.
“I was frank with minister Lee that we expect Korea to continue to recognize Canada’s OIE controlled risk status and base its decisions on internationally recognized science and lift the suspension in a timely manner,” Ritz said.
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A delegation from South Korea is visiting Canada next week, and the minister said he hoped that would underscore the words and actions of the Canadian industry.
During the trade mission to Vietnam, South Korea and Japan, he said no other countries raised BSE as an issue.
“We actually brought it up to assure them that we understood it could be an issue,” he said.
He noted that in the past Japan has also restricted imports, but “this time around they’re hanging solid with us.”
Japan has taken some of the beef that was en route to South Korea.
China, meanwhile, took all the beef in the queue, Ritz said, and didn’t halt trade until Canada did.
Canadian Cattlemen’s Association president Dave Solverson, also on the trade mission, said he was pleased with the attitude towards BSE.
“The only question they had was when can you send us more beef,” he said.
Ritz and Canadian grain industry representatives met with Japanese importers and millers to promote sales and assure them that grain is moving to port.
The minister said wheat exports to Japan rose by one-third last year.
“Both the importers and the millers thanked our government for taking decisive action to ensure grain is moving to port in a timely and efficient manner,” Ritz said.
Contact karen.briere@producer.com
