Beef Remains Key Issue in Canada-EU Trade Deal
By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com
Beef continues to be one of the stickler points under negotiation for the Canada-European Union trade talks. The EU’s two biggest beef producers – France and Ireland are said to be against how much beef access Canada is requesting.
Despite this, the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association said that they are optimistic a deal will be reached that will favor Canadian beef producers. The tricky part is not only gaining access, but enough access to make it worth switching some Canadian cattle operations to comply with EU standards.
Cattlemen’s say they are pleased with how Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been handling the negotiations thus far, noting that Canada has been clear that we won’t settle for just any deal, but rather it has to be the right deal.