Meat sector urges Ottawa to ink South Korea free-trade deal, millions at stake

Canada's meat industry says it stands to lose hundreds of millions of dollars a year unless Ottawa moves more quickly to sign a free-trade agreement with South Korea.

Earlier this month, the United States signed such a trade deal, which means its beef and pork producers will face much lower tariffs than their Canadian counterparts.

The Canadian Pork Council warns that without a similar deal, Canada could lose $300 million a year in business, as well as farm and meat processing jobs.

"With the recent ratification of the Korean free-trade agreement by the U.S. Congress, the Canadian red meat industry is very concerned that further delay in concluding Canadian free-trade talks with South Korea will seriously undermine the competitiveness of the pork and beef sectors," said council chairman Jurgen Preugschas.

"It would put more of our producers out of business." More

Meat producers want ban lifted

Free trade . Canadian meat producers want the federal government to resume free trade negotiations with South Korea, after the U.S. ratified a deal with the country last week.

"Almost at the very moment we hope Korea lifts its prohibition on Canadian beef, they will be reducing the tariff on U.S. beef which could well negate our market access gain," Travis Toews, president of the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, said in a statement.

This summer, South Korea said that by the end of the year it would resume imports of Canadian beef from cows under the age of 30 months. It is one of the few remaining countries that has yet to reopen its borders after BSE was discovered in some Canadian cattle in 2003.

The cattlemen's association, as well as the Canadian Pork Council, Canada Pork International and the Canadian Meat Council, want the talks that stalled three years ago restarted, out of concern Canada won't be able to compete with countries whose products have lower tariffs attached. More