The Canadian pork industry is one step closer to having access to the European Union as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has resolved the main issue preventing the pork industry from benefiting from the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).
Changes to CFIA Manual of Procedures were recently made to 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 the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement that came into provisional application on September 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.
“Europe is a very important pork-consuming region of the world,” explained Neil Ketilson, Canada Pork International Chair. “It would greatly benefit Canada if pork producers could quickly set the basis for a long-term presence in this market,” he added.
“Now that this issue has been resolved, industry and government must focus its efforts on having the EU approve the full suite of antimicrobial interventions used in Canada to enhance food safety,” highlighted 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.”
