OTTAWA – Taiwan has lifted its temporary ban on Canadian beef, removing the trade barrier it imposed on the product after an outbreak of mad cow disease in Alberta last year.
Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay and International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland said the ban was lifted effective Friday.
READ MORE: Alberta beef producers concerned as more countries restrict Canadian beef imports due to BSE
Prior to the ban, some $12 million of Canada’s $2 billion in total annual beef exports went to Taiwan, making it Canada’s seventh largest beef market.
The Taiwan development comes one week after Mexico lifted its decade-long ban on some cattle imports, a move expected to be worth $250 million to Canadian beef producers.
READ MORE: Ban on Canadian beef lifted by South Korea
The Canadian Cattleman’s Association said last week that Taiwan and China were the last holdouts among several countries that banned Canadian beef in relation to mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
The trade restrictions on Canada were imposed after a breeding cow was found with BSE in February 2015.
Comments