June 27, 2013

Canada approves beef imports from Mexico

Canadian health officials have certified eight Mexican beef plants to export to their country, according to the Mexican Agriculture and Ranching Secretariat.

The slaughterhouses are in the states of Baja California, Michoacan, Nuevo Leon, Queretaro, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas and Veracruz, the secretariat said.

Canadian Food Inspection Agency, or CFIA, officials inspected several processing plants in Mexico to ensure they were in compliance with the regulations for exporting beef to Canada.

The CFIA specialists confirmed that the plants were in compliance with international health standards, the secretariat said.

Bilateral trade totalled US$20.82 billion in 2012, with Mexican exports to the Canadian market reaching US$10.93 billion and imports from Canada hitting US$9.88 billion, resulting in a trade surplus for Mexico of US$1.04 billion.