Only China continues to have a suspension in place
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Another country has lifted its temporary suspension on imports of Canadian beef.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced the Philippines will once again accept shipments of Canadian beef.
“The Philippines has lifted its temporary suspension of (Canadian) beef imports, imposed following the discovery of an atypical BSE case in December,” the minister posted on Twitter on Jan. 29. “Great news for livestock producers and their high-quality beef.”
Officials from the Alberta government and Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced the confirmation of an atypical case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy on an Alberta farm in December.
That animal was euthanized on the farm and did not enter the food or animal feed chain.
Atypical differs from its Classical counterpart because it’s “believed to occur spontaneously in all cattle populations,” the World Organisation for Animal Health says.
Despite that, three countries suspended imports of Canadian beef following the confirmation.
South Korea, Canada’s seventh-largest beef export market by volume, became the first to do so a few days after official confirmation.
That country has since lifted its suspension.
Earlier this month, the Philippines and China announced their suspensions because of atypical BSE.
With the Philippines removing its suspension, only China, the Canadian beef sector’s third-largest market, has a suspension remaining.
The United States announced it wouldn’t impose any restrictions on Canadian beef following the atypical BSE discovery.