China Opens to Canadian Pork

China Opens to Canadian Pork. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. Export markets are extremely important to the ag industry. It is also important to the country doing the importing but many times politics can get in the way. Members of the Canadian pork industry are excited about their products going back on Chinese grocery store shelves. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz made the announcement. RITZ: It does give us immediate access. The Chinese were over and recertified plants, that works been done. We are the first country to be able to negotiate a reentry into the market with a certificate. That goes a long way to validating our processes here in Canada. We're looking forward to that market. Which was worth 45-million dollars to Canadian producers prior to the H1N1 ban. Ritz says, - access to the Chinese market is excellent news for Canadian pork producers and underlines the importance of recognizing international science-based standards. The Canadians have touted the standards of the World Organization for Animal Health. Ritz was asked what it meant for Canada to regain access to the world's largest pork-consuming country ahead of the U.S. RITZ: I do know that once the Chinese get a taste for that top quality product that we have here in Canada that it's going to be really tough for someone else to bump us out of the marketplace. You know we have the consistency and quality and supply that they're looking for. In spring of 2009, China suspended pork imports from H1N1-affected countries. In December, Canada successfully negotiated to have the ban lifted. Since then Canada has been working to develop supplementary certification requirements. The Canadian focus now shifts to restoring full market access for its beef around the globe. Ritz suggested that Ottawa had leaped ahead of Washington in that race, too. RITZ: The one thing that we have in our favor is of course our comprehensive move towards a traceability system that the American's have now gone backwards on. So we certainly have that in our sights to move to the next level. That would certainly help us as we continue to move forward and open and reopen markets that were closed to BSE in 2003. Ritz concluded that maximizing trade opportunities for farmers is a priority of Canada's Economic Action Plan. As for U.S. imports, last October China announced it would resume imports of U.S. pork following the H1N1-related ban, but Washington and Beijing are still working out the associated terms and conditions. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.