Rules on recognizing the origin of cattle and pigs slaughtered in Canada are one of the sticking points in free trade talks with the European Union, Canada’s chief agriculture negotiator said April 3.
Canada hopes to win greater access for its beef and pork in Europe, while the EU wants a foothold in Canada’s protected agriculture sectors, especially dairy.
Talks on a comprehensive deal are expected to finish this year, but one outstanding issue is on rules of origin, said Frederic Seppey, chief negotiator for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
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The issue is whether the EU will give preferential access to all meat processed in Canada, given the strong integration of the North American livestock market. Canadian and U.S. farmers freely move livestock across the border to take advantage of the lowest feeding costs and highest slaughter prices.
The EU has not agreed that all meat slaughtered and processed in Canada is considered of Canadian origin. It takes into consideration where the livestock was born and raised.
“We don’t want beef that has been processed in Canada and perhaps is from cattle that were born in Canada but fed in the U.S. to be prevented from getting the potential preferential treatment,” Seppey told reporters on the sidelines of the Canada Grains Council meeting in Winnipeg. “In our trade agreements we are always advocating that slaughter is enough of a transformation to confer origin.”
