Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Doubling cheese imports to get EU trade deal


Canada has offered to double imports of European cheese to 30,000 tonnes per year as the final item in a prolonged negotiation to get a free-trade deal with the European Union, reports the National Post.

It says the package deal has now been sent to the provinces because they need to approve some aspects, such as opening government contracts to bidding by European competitors.

The National Post says nothing about some of the other outstanding items, such as Europe’s push to gain longer patent protection for pharmaceuticals and Ireland’s resistance to Canada’s push for improved access to European markets for Canadian beef and pork.

The National Post says announcement of the trade deal could come within days.

Although much has been said about Canada’s protection of supply management for the dairy industry, news reports have been silent about any implications for Canadian supply management for the chicken, turkey and egg industries.