WINNIPEG (Reuters) – Canada is resuming cattle exports to Colombia with a shipment of 60 Canadian heifers, ending seven years of trade restrictions, said federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz.
Colombia banned Canadian beef and cattle in 2003 after a discovery of BSE in Canada, but agreed to lift the beef ban in January 2010 and the live cattle ban in April 2010.
The shipment of cattle for breeding purposes and milk production is the first Canadian cattle export to Colombia since it put the ban in place, Ritz said.
Canadian and Colombian officials met last week to resolve remaining technical trade issues.
