Free trade negotiations between Canada and the European Union are the best opportunity agricultural exporters have had in a generation to increase markets, MPs were told last week.
However, Canada should not sign a deal that does not include significant new access for agriculture, Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance executive director Kathleen Sullivan told the House of Commons trade committee Oct. 27.
Barring an unlikely deal at the World Trade Organization, the 500-million consumer EU market is the next best thing, she said.
“The EU is a lucrative market for Canadian agriculture and food products,” said Sullivan.
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Negotiations are ending their second year and are scheduled to conclude early next year with or without a deal. The most sensitive agricultural issues have been left until the end.
“For us, that includes beef and pork and biotechnology regulations,” Sullivan said.
“These will be really critical in evaluating the success of an FTA at the end of the day. We firmly believe that a deal that does not include a strong agriculture package just won’t be worth signing.”
John Masswohl, government and international relations director with the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, later embraced her point.
The cattle industry supports the trade talks because tariff and technical barriers mean Canadian beef has little access to the European market.
“Whether we support the final agreement is really going to depend on whether it provides meaningful access for beef,” he said.
On the other hand, Dairy Farmers of Canada president Wally Smith told MPs a successful deal must include continued protection for Canada’s dairy industry and its high tariff walls and resistance to a European demand that Canadian cheese not be named for the European region where the cheese type originated, such as parmesan and feta.
The EU is insisting geographical indicators that trade on the name of a European region should be protected for European use.
Without being able to use those brand names on Canadian-produced cheeses, “we are going to run into difficulty and we will have economic pain as a result of our lack of ability to produce these cheeses,” said Smith.
The beef and dairy interests illustrated how well the government is straddling the line between free trade export interests and protectionist supply management interests.
Conservative MP Ed Holder asked Masswohl and Smith if they thought Canada was supporting their interests.
“Certainly on this negotiation we have a lot of confidence that the negotiators understand what it is that we need to get for the beef sector,” said Masswohl.
