April 21, 2006

Canada persuades Russia to resume beef trade

Canadian officials are negotiating with Russian officials hoping that it would soon reopen its borders to Canadian beef, a Canadian official said Thursday (Apr 20).

Russia is one of several countries Canada is negotiating in the hopes of lifting the bans those countries imposed on Canadian beef, said Greg Giokas, director of trade policy with Agriculture Canada.

In its negotiations, Canada work towards having each country accept the full range of Canadian beef and clarifies their specifications and requirements. 

Canada exported approximately 4,500 tonnes of beef to Russia in 2002 - the last full year before mad cow disease caused Russia to impose a ban.

In 2003, Canada exported 2,400 tonnes to Russia, before Russia banned Canadian beef altogether.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said the recent case in Canada has not had a major impact on present talks, despite rumours that the negotiation process could be delayed by as much as a month.