Canadian authorities are hoping to convince China to lift a ban on meat shipments as early as this week, according to livestock groups.
The government is “pushing to try and get it open this week,” Dennis Laycraft, executive vice president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, said by telephone. Canada presented an action plan to China that addresses some of the Asian nation’s concerns about the meat-export system and is waiting for a response, said Gary Stordy, a spokesman for the Canadian Pork Council.
Canada’s Agriculture Ministry didn’t immediately provide a comment.
China suspended all Canadian meat imports on June 25 after authorities discovered an export certificate on a shipment of pork had been forged. Canadian and Chinese officials then launched investigations into the origin, although Marie-Claude Bibeau, minister of agriculture and agri-food, said she hoped to restore exports before the investigation was complete.
In an update last week, Canadian officials said they were working hard to reassure their Chinese partners of the safety of the Canadian meat export system.
“These things take a little longer than advertised, but there’s been an enormous amount of effort to make sure all the information that’s necessary has been submitted and we’ll be waiting and watching closely this week,” Laycraft said.
Bloomberg.com
