Canadian beef producers eager to develop trading links with the EU

BEEF producers in Canada and Europe share similar views on the need for sustainability and high production values, according to one leading Canadian beef producer on a visit to Ireland.

John Masswohl, director of government and international relations at the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA), said that his industry colleagues are very interested in developing trading links with the EU.

This week Mr Masswohl and CCA vice-president Martin Unrau met with beef sector leaders across the EU, visiting England, Ireland, France and Spain.

Their tour coincides with news that the European Commission is confident that the USA and Canada are about to lift their ban on beef imports from the EU.

The US and Canada imposed a ban on the importation of Irish and EU beef following the outbreak of BSE in 2000. Recent reports from the commission suggest this ban is about to be lifted.

Mr Masswohl said: “There has not been any beef trade for 25 years, so we have not had any access to beef from the UK. Most of our herds are bred from cattle from the UK.

“We used to ship a lot of beef before Europe created the Common Market in the 1970s. It has been so long since we’ve been trading beef that I cannot judge what volumes we might be talking about, but we do import about 200,000 tons annually from the US, mostly in hamburgers and high end cuts.”

Canada exports about 40% of its beef output, and about 80% of that goes to the US. The beef producer members of the CCA are very interested in reviving trade links, particularly as they view the EU as a high quality, high-price market.

The Canadian cattle herd is about one-twelfth the size of Brazil, and about one-third the size of the EU’s herd.

Mr Masswohl said: “We really see trade as a two-way proposition. We know Ireland is quite export-orientated, but also that it is of high quality, like our own beef.

“Canadian beef is grain-fed, with high marbling, very enjoyable to eat, very juicy and with a great flavour. We are tasting equally flavoursome beef in every place we have visited in Ireland.

“We don’t ship beef to markets that are not willing to pay for quality. We see Europe as a potential market for us.”

Mr Masswohl also said that his industry colleagues in Canada also view now as a very timely opportunity to reopen trade links with Europe.

Portlaoise, Co Laois, was a notable destination on the CCA’s whistlestop tour. Mr Masswohl found that his industry colleagues share similar views on quality and market opportunities with members of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association (ICSA).

ICSA president Gabriel Gilmartin said: “We’re delighted to host the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association in our head offices. It proved to be a useful exercise and we are looking forward to strengthening Irish agricultural ties with the farming community in Canada. We hope that both the CCA and ICSA learned a lot from each other.”