CALGARY – At a time when Canada already has too much beef, additional imports from Europe are not welcome.
That was what a Canadian International Trade Tribunal hearing was told last week by the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, two Canadian packers and representatives from Australia, who want to see a countervail duty against European beef stay in place.
Canada limits European beef imports with a duty because it claims the beef is supported by subsidies. The Canadian beef industry claims the subsidized imports would disrupt the domestic market.
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The federal government leans heavily on producers to “take one for the team” and risk their livelihoods without any reassurance of support.
“At this time in the cattle cycle, when we have an overabundance of beef to work through the system, we don’t need any additional supply,” said David Andrews, president of the cattlemen’s association.
The Europeans argue that since they are only allowed to ship 5,000 tonnes to Canada, it wouldn’t cause any problems.
Dennis Laycraft, executive vice-president of the association, said no beef from Europe has been shipped to Canada because the countervail duty has been high enough to deter exporters.
A countervail has been in place since 1986. It was renewed in 1991 and expires July 25. A decision is expected by July 22.
The European beef is used by the processing industry and comes from the European Union, Denmark and Ireland.
