The Government of Canada is committed to increasing market access for Canada’s beef industry. To this end, on May 30, 2013, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that Canadian producers will now benefit from full market access to Chile for beef exports. The announcement was made during the state visit to Canada by Sebastián Piñera, President of Chile.
In 2003, a number of markets, including Chile, ceased importing Canadian beef due to the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) disease. Since then, Canada has strengthened existing BSE measures and introduced new ones to protect human and animal health, maintain consumer confidence in Canadian beef products and support market access for cattle, beef and related products.
In Chile, efforts included: high-level discussions between both countries, as well as visits to Canada by Chilean authorities to review and approve the Canadian beef inspection system. This led to the negotiation of export certificates, resulting in renewed access to Chile for all Canadian beef products.
In 2012, Chile imported $827.7 million worth of beef products, representing a large potential market for Canadian exporters. The Canadian beef industry estimates that this renewed access is worth up to $5 million annually with potential growth of up to $10 million in three years.
Chile is an important trading partner for Canada. Since the 1997 signing of the Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement, two-way merchandise trade has more than tripled, reaching almost $2.5 billion in 2012.
