Eight container loads of Canadian beef left for Taiwan almost as soon as it announced June 23 that trade would resume with Canada after a four year ban.
“Multiple containers are already booked by our major importers of the past,” said Ted Haney, president of the Canada Beef Export Federation.
Taiwan is one of Canada’s highest value markets on a dollar per kilogram basis, said Haney.
Most of the past trade was in beef cuts like prime rib, short loins and T-bones rather than the cheaper offal products. Trade is restricted to boneless beef from cattle younger than 30 months. The only proof of age required is dentition, and grades from A to Prime are considered youthful.
Read Also
The Western Producer Livestock Report: July 17, 2025
U.S. hogs averaged $106.69 on a carcass basis July 11, down from $110.21 July 4.
In addition, the United States and Australia are not heavily involved in this market because they are diverting product to South Korea and Japan. Last year Taiwan imported 100,000 tonnes from Australia, the U.S. and New Zealand.
The beef federation as a target of 10,000 tonnes per year for Taiwan before 2015 but Haney is confident that goal will be reached much sooner. Canada’s best year in Taiwan was 2002 when it bought 8,000 tonnes worth $42 million.
