Canadian beef makes a comeback in Hong Kong

Hong Kong has reportedly given full market access to Canadian beef, six years after the closure of its beef market to Canada due to the discovery of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a Canadian cow in 2003.

In December 2004, Hong Kong granted Canada access to export boneless beef derived from cattle under 30 months of age. Following that, in January 2009, Hong Kong and Canada agreed to a three-phased re-opening expected to conclude by the end of this year. 

Interestingly, since the outbreak of BSE, Hong Kong's imports of Canadian beef have actually increased.

In the calendar year to August 2009, total beef imports into Hong Kong (83,945 tonnes swt) were dominated by South America (60%), followed by the US (13%), Canada (7%), New Zealand (7%), and then Australia (4%) and China (4%). Currently, Australia dominates the chilled trade (47% of the 3,096 tonnes imported).