(Ottawa) Britain’s envoy to Canada says an outcry in the Prairies over a new bilateral trade deal could be overcome if Canadian beef producers change their farming methods to meet British standards .
Britain’s High Commissioner to Canada, Susannah Goshko, said in an interview this week that Britons don’t want their government to back down on a ban on imports of beef raised with certain growth hormones.
But organizations, such as the Canadian Cattle Association, say that concern is not based on science and that the UK already exports far more beef to Canada than Canadians do the other way.
Until the British change their position on this file, industry players in Canada want Ottawa to block the United Kingdom’s entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. They also want Ottawa to interrupt the ongoing negotiations for a trade agreement between the United Kingdom and Canada, following “Brexit”.
Mme Goshko suggests that this dispute could be resolved by asking Canadian producers to change their farming methods instead, especially since the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement will allow more exports of Canadian beef to the United Kingdom.
The high commissioner adds that the ongoing trade negotiations for a bilateral agreement can give both countries a competitive advantage over the European Union, especially in green technologies and small businesses.
Since leaving the European Union in January 2020, the United Kingdom has concluded a “trade continuity agreement” with Canada, until London and Ottawa sign a new bilateral agreement. This continuity agreement maintains most of the rules of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, concluded between Canada and the European Union.