Peru has reopened to Canadian beef.
Final rules are still being written, but the country has agreed to accept bone-in beef from cattle younger than 30 months and boneless beef and offal from all ages. Peru has been accepting cattle from Canada born after August 2007, said a federal government news release.
In 2011, total Peruvian imports of beef and beef products from all countries were worth about $49 million. Canada Beef Inc. estimates that this market could be worth up to $2.5 million annually for Canadian beef producers.
Canada has had a free trade agreement with Peru since 2009, and the government said trade has nearly doubled.
Grain is among Canada’s top exports to Peru. In 2011, Peru’s agricultural imports from Canada totalled more than $247 million.
About 70 countries have either fully or partially re-established access for Canadian beef since the discovery of BSE in Canada shut down international trade in 2003.
