TORONTO – Provinces and the cattle industry are urging the federal government to change the way it tries to open world markets to Canadian beef.
In Vancouver Feb. 24, a meeting of premiers agreed to create a national beef “strike force” that will send high profile politicians, BSE experts and industry leaders around the world to promote the safety of Canadian beef. The premiers hope Ottawa will join.
“The strike force will undertake international missions, act as ambassadors for the safety and quality of North American beef, provide information and promotional material, send industry experts on speaking tours and advise industry and government of BSE issues,” Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty said during a Feb. 25 speech at the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association convention.
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He told a later news conference it was a common provincial view that Ottawa’s international efforts have lacked focus.
“There was a consensus that as a nation, we need more of a focus and a profile in applying pressure to get borders open” McGuinty said.
While details of how it will work are still being developed, “we hope the feds see the benefits of this and join in.”
Meanwhile, a coalition of national agricultural groups, including the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and the Canadian Pork Council, has asked Ottawa to create a trade group within Agriculture Canada that is focused solely on Canada’s trade objectives.
Officials from concerned relevant departments and agencies such as Health Canada, trade and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency would join Agriculture Canada trade officials in a unit dedicated to fighting the BSE battle and pursuing Canada’s trade goals.
“The way it is now with everyone involved, no one has this issue as a priority,” Canada Beef Export Federation chair Ben Thorlakson said in a Feb. 25 interview.
“It seems like a no-brainer that there should be a dedicated trade group in Ottawa. We need people who wake up in the morning with fire in their belly on trade issues, rather than seeing it as just one of the files to deal with.”
Still, despite his criticism of how trade pressure is co-ordinated, Thorlakson said he is optimistic that many markets, including the United States, will open to younger Canadian cattle by mid-year and that even Japan will open its border before the end of the year. He has been part of a whirlwind world trip to present beef safety seminars with other Canadian experts in Japanese, Chinese and Mexican cities.
He said the Americans are under increasing pressure to open their border to Canadian cattle because Mexico has said its rules for import of American cattle will mirror how the U.S. treats Canadian cattle. Asian markets are also watching how the Americans deal with Canada before they decide on opening their borders to American beef because they see the North American beef economy as integrated.
“I really am optimistic that we’ll see movement, but then, I’m an optimist.”
Thorlakson told convention delegates he sees a new attitude of co-operation in Ottawa since Paul Martin became prime minister.
