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June 29, 2010

China will reopen its market to Canadian beef and beef products

On June 24, 2010, China announced that it has granted access to Canadian beef and beef products using a staged approach.

The first step in this process is access for boneless beef derived from animals under thirty months of age (UTM) and tallow for industrial use.

The Chinese market was closed in 2003 following Canada's first case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).

Canada is the first BSE-affected country to regain market access for beef to China.

According to estimates by the Canada Beef Export Federation (CBEF), the Chinese market for Canadian beef and tallow is expected to be worth $110 million once full market access is achieved.

Since 2007, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has officially categorized Canada as a controlled BSE risk country. This designation allows for the safe trade in all beef and cattle under specified conditions, which Canada meets