By Charles Lefebvre

Province trying to find resolution to meat ban from China

Jun 27, 2019 | 5:45 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — The provincial government is working to find a resolution to the current meat blockade from China.

“We are working with the federal government and providing any assistance to them,” said Devin Dreeshen, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, over the phone from Edmonton. “Right now, the Canadian Border Services Agency are doing an investigation on the fraudulent export certificates. That is the cause of why the Chinese have a temporary suspension on Canadian export certificates for beef and pork.”

On Tuesday, the Chinese Embassy announced it had asked Canada to suspend all meat imports into the country. It comes following a recent suspension of meat from three pork producers and an earlier ban on canola.

The embassy says Chinese customs inspectors’ detected residue from a restricted feed additive, called ractopamine, in a batch of Canadian pork products. The additive has permitted uses in Canada but is banned in China.

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Dreeshen adds the issue is a reminder of the importance of having multiple trading partners around the world.

“Our Trade Minister (Tanya Fir), actually a couple of weeks ago, was in Japan and Korea trying to open up and increase market access to those important Asian markets,” he said. “We are focused on having global market access in every part of the world to try and be able to have access for our producers.”

Dreeshen says he plans to continue discussing the issue with Marie-Claude Bibeau, the federal Minister of Agriculture, during the Calgary Stampede.

-With files from the Canadian Press