Upcoming election in the United Kingdom may explain why little short-term hope remains on the trade agreement front
WINNIPEG — One year ago, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak published an open letter to farmers in his country. The letter, released May 16, 2023, focused on agricultural trade and British government priorities for future free trade deals. Sunak listed six principles, which he says will protect and assist British farmers. Principle No. 4 was […] Read moreTag Archives CETA
Goodale brings ag trade experience to British posting
High commissioner’s past work serves him well because ag issues can be major irritants in trade deals
Glacier FarmMedia – As high commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ralph Goodale is in the midst of issues important to Canadian farmers. Since his 2021 appointment, Goodale has pushed the U.K. to drop what Canada claims to be illegal restrictions on imports of Canadian beef. Canada has also struggled with the European Union over implementation […] Read more
French Senate rejects Canada-EU trade deal
PARIS, France (Reuters) — A large majority of French senators have voted against the ratification of a free trade deal between the European Union and Canada in a closely watched ballot after farmers slammed liberal trade policies in weeks of protests. A majority of 211 senators opposed the ratification of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade […] Read more
Canadian ag exports struggle for EU foothold
Opposition from farmers, environmentalists and politicians hinder implementation of Canada-European Union trade deal
Ongoing protests by European farmers unhappy with reduced profits and unfair competition from non-European Union countries could pose problems for Canadian agricultural exports. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 brought an energy crisis in Europe with associated spillover to agriculture, as many EU farmers faced a sharp rise in input costs and reduced demand […] Read more
Time to think outside the box when dealing with Europe
It’s no secret to anyone paying attention that the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement with the European Union is not working for Canada’s livestock producers. The deal, approved by both sides in 2017, was welcomed at the time as a tremendous opportunity for the country’s agriculture industry. The promise never materialized for the livestock sector. Last […] Read more
Beef sector demands tougher stance on trade
The beef trade deficit with Europe reached $92 million in 2022, but trade flows have changed in 2023:
“Just because another country does something in a specific way doesn’t mean we have to adopt that,” said Nathan Phinney, CCA president. “One thing we need to realize is we’re in Canada. We have a world class (beef production) system, a world-class product and producers that do a world class job. We have to stand up for what we do in Canada and be proud of what we do.”
BLOG: Protecting beef and pork … with CETA
The language in trade deals is normally complex and cloudy. But the text in the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement with Europe (CETA) suggests that Canada can impose duties on European beef and pork if those imports are harming Canada’s red meat industry. The language is found in Article 3.4 of CETA. It says Canada and […] Read more
Canada importing less beef from Europe
From January to the end of April, Canada purchased $25 million worth of beef from European Union countries. That's a decline of 34 percent from the $38 million imported during the same period in 2022.
CETA still not fully delivering
Agriculture sector wants feds to make progress on removing barriers, five years after deal was signed
Canadian and European officials celebrated five years of their trade agreement recently, but many in Canadian agriculture are still waiting to see the benefits. Canadian Cattle Association general manager Ryder Lee said beef producers are frustrated they haven’t been able to reach European markets. “There’s potential and there’s realizing it, and we’re still in that […] Read more
‘We’re being taken advantage of’
As predicted, cattle producers are reaping the benefits of the Canada-Europe free trade deal — but not in this country. In April, the Irish Times reported that Ireland’s beef exports to Canada have increased 700 percent since 2017, when the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement came into effect. The massive increase in beef exports is […] Read more
