November 3, 2017

 

Minus 1 obstacle: Canada pork producers a step closer to EU market

 

 

The Canadian pork industry has hurdled one major obstacle that has prevented it from accessing the EU market under the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), the Canadian Pork Council (CPC) said.

 

In a release posted on its website, the CPC said the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has made changes to its Manual of Procedures, which will allow packers to apply health mark labels after the pork has been frozen.

 

The previous provision required the label to be applied to boxes before the product was eligible to be exported, which effectively prevented the industry from benefiting from CETA, which became effective provisionally last Sept. 21.

 

"The Canadian Pork Council (CPC) thanks the CFIA for reviewing its policy surrounding the health mark labels", said Rick Bergmann, chair of the CPC.

 

"The elimination of this barrier enables increased sales which is of utmost importance to a prosperous pork sector", he added.

 

With the removal of the trade barrier, the industry and government must now focus their efforts on having the EU approve the "full suite of antimicrobial interventions used in Canada to enhance food safety", according to Canadian Meat Council President and CEO Chris White.

 

"These interventions have been accepted by food safety authorities in Canada, the United States, Japan and numerous other countries", he stressed.

 

The Canadian Pork Council is the national voice for hog producers in Canada, while the Canadian Meat Council has been representing Canada's federally inspected meat processing industry since 1919. --Rick Alberto

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