Canadian beef producers stand behind negotiators at the Canada-UK bilateral negotiations

The Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) is disappointed, but not surprised by the decision of the United Kingdom (UK) to pause the bilateral free trade negotiations between the UK and Canada.

Canadian cattle producers stand behind the Government of Canada’s approach of drawing a hard line in the negotiations and defending Canadian beef producers.

“CCA has been following the bilateral negotiations closely and has been concerned at the lack of ambition and cooperation from the UK in these negotiations,” says Nathan Phinney, CCA president. “The Canadian beef industry is a strong advocate of free and open trade. To avoid getting a bad trade deal for Canadians, we need trade partners that want to trade fairly and not use rules and regulations to their own advantage.”

The Canadian beef industry will continue to oppose the accession of the UK to the Comprehensive and Progressive Transpacific Partnership (CPTPP) until the fundamental obstacles to export Canadian beef to the UK are fully addressed. Unfortunately, the UK has shown no indication that it is prepared to fully accept Canada’s food safety system which is widely recognized as one of the finest in the world.

Until the UK barriers to Canadian beef are resolved, Canadian producers will continue to be at a disadvantage. The UK currently has unlimited access to British beef exports to Canada, while Canadian beef producers are unable to export into the UK market.

International trade is made up of compromise and negotiations. Addressing these trade barriers will create a win-win situation for both industries and consumers across both markets. We encourage the UK to return to the negotiation table with fair and genuine efforts to solve our beef access issues.

Since the UK has not shown willingness to resolve this market issue, it is in Canada’s best interest to focus our efforts at different trade negotiations. Canadian beef producers would also encourage the Government of Canada to re-examine the UK’s current beef access to Canada in both the Trade Continuity Agreement (TCA) and the CPTPP to ensure fairness and equitable access.