EDMONTON: Officials confirmed that China has joined a growing list of countries that have suspended Canadian beef imports after inspectors found an animal suffering mad cow disease on a farm outside Edmonton.
China is the fifth-largest importer of Alberta beef, accounting for $39 million of the province’s $1.43 billion in annual beef exports.
The Chinese join the Koreans, Taiwanese, Peruvian and Belarusians in banning Canadian beef imports after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) on Feb. 13 confirmed a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) on a Spruce Grove-area farm.
Provincial Agriculture Minister Verlyn Olson said he’s “not happy” with China’s decision to temporarily close its borders to Alberta beef, but that the government will continue working hard to satisfy trading partners that Alberta is worthy of their trust.
“We’re compliant with the protocols that were set out by the World Organization for Animal Health, and we’d like to see our trading partners follow those rules,” Olson said Friday. “Frankly, they don’t have good reasons to be closing their borders.”
He said federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz spoke with both the Korean and Chinese ambassadors and the federal government is working closely with American, Mexican and Japanese officials to keep them apprised of developments in the investigation.
“One of our main focuses in terms of trade for agricultural products is Asia, so of course we’re not happy to see this from China, although Hong Kong is still open and that’s a major market,” Olson said.
Hong Kong imports $172.5 million in Alberta beef each year, and is Alberta’s second-largest trading partner.
“Our biggest trading partners seem very solid,” Olson said. “The U.S. and Mexico and Japan are solidly on board, so that gives us some confidence.”
Americans, Mexicans and Japanese buy $946 million, $136 million and $73 million in Alberta beef each year, respectively.
The first case was diagnosed in a cow born on the farm in 2004, but the disease wasn’t detected until 2010. The investigation into that first case was unable to determine a specific cause for the cow’s illness, but there was some concern about cross contamination of feed not meant for cattle.
The investigation into the second case continues, and officials have investigated roughly 750 cows born on the farm around the same time.
In 2003, about 40 countries closed their borders to Canadian cattle and beef products after a case of mad cow disease was diagnosed on an Alberta farm. The incident devastated the beef industry.
