Canadian beef could soon be back on the menu in China after 4-year ban is lifted

Canadian beef could soon be back on the Chinese market after that country lifted a ban on imports of the product from Canadian processing plants.

The ban has been in place since 2021 after an atypical case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was found on an Alberta farm.

Federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald, the MP for P.E.I.'s Malpeque riding, announced the removal of the ban Tuesday after a trip to Beijing with Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Russ Mallard, president of Atlantic Beef Products in Albany, P.E.I., said Canadian plants that had been approved to ship to China before the ban took effect will be reauthorized to send beef there again. 

“That's going to be resolved as soon as the paperwork gets completed between the two countries. So it's very positive news,” said Mallard, who's also the chair of the Canadian Meat Council.

He said close to $200 million worth of beef was shipped from Canada to China at the industry's peak in 2021, before the ban took effect. Mallard said "it's going to take a while to probably get back up to that number.”

With trade tensions still simmering between Canada and the United States, however, Mallard said Canadian packers could see some benefits from the reopening of the Chinese market.

He said the lifting of the ban won’t directly impact Atlantic Beef Products because the plant is not approved to ship to China, nor is that something the company is pursuing. It's approved for the Japanese and Korean markets, and is currently working on a deal with Mexico. 

“It may benefit our plants in the sense that if some of that excess beef comes off the market in Canada, then the products’ pricing perhaps might be a little bit stronger,” Mallard said.

“I do think it'll be beneficial overall, and I think ultimately the more demand there is for Canadian products, that's going to be a big benefit to Canadian producers.”

WATCH | Alberta beef producers pleased to be back in China after more than four years:

Alberta beef producers pleased China lifts beef ban on Canadian products

January 21|

Duration 1:27

For the first time in more than four years, China will once again be an open market for Canadian beef. The country had implemented a ban after an atypical case of BSE was found in an Alberta cow in December 2021. Even though beef producers are happy to export to China again, some say it took too long.

China’s 2021 ban on Canadian beef was followed by similar decisions by South Korea and the Philippines, but those two countries lifted their bans two months later. 

The news comes after what Carney called a “landmark” trade deal with China. It allows Chinese-made electric vehicles into this country in exchange for a break on tariffs for Canadian agricultural products like some seafood and canola seeds.

The United States remains the Canadian beef industry’s largest buyer. Last year, Canada exported $7 billion worth of beef and cattle, with $6 billion of that heading south of the border.