July 9, 2020

Canada-based Cargill Protein decides next step following China's beef ban

China has recently announced a partial ban on beef products from several countries including Canada, and representatives of Cargill Protein based in Alberta, Canada, said they are still deciding how to proceed, CTV News reported.

Other countries affected by the ban include Brazil, Germany, and the Netherlands. As a result of the ban, products from Cargill Protein's High River facility is also affected.

The ban came after Chinese companies requested food suppliers outside China to sign a document attesting to the fact their cargoes meet safety standards and are not infected with COVID-19.

Cargill Protein said that the ban would not impact the plant's production capacity, which remains at about 95% operational since it temporarily shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hundreds of the facility's workers were found to be infected with the coronavirus.

"For now, all that's changed is where we send product originally meant for export to China, which is a small percentage of our output at the facility," said Cargill's Daniel Sullivan.

"We care about local producers, trade and are working closely with Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to determine next steps. We recognise it is important for farmers and ranchers to have access to markets and are working to process cattle and honor our commitments to producers. I also want to be clear that we also stand strongly by our commitment to producing high-quality, safe beef out of our High River facility."

- CTV News