The newly agreed free-trade agreement between the EU and Canada looks set to make a relatively low-key change to current pork import levels, according to AHDB Pork.
“Canada is the third largest global exporter of pork after the EU and the United States but shipments to the EU have been negligible in recent years,” said AHDB Pork, commenting today, in light of final signing of the much-delayed Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).
“Under CETA, pork has been classified as a sensitive product. While a zero duty will apply to Canadian pork exported to the EU, it will be limited by tariff rate quotas (TRQs) to around 67,000 tonnes (product weight).
“This will be phased in over six years, with the existing TRQ of 4,625 tonnes rising to around 15,000 tonnes in the first year.”
AHDB Pork also commented that some “technical barriers” may need to be addressed before large-scale shipments can begin.
“The eventual Canadian TRQ equates to just 0.4% of total EU consumption of pork,” it added. “In reality, however, Canadian exporters will target cuts that offer the best returns, especially hams, so the impact on the EU market could be greater.”
AHDB Pork published a detailed assessment of the CETA deal, from a pork perspective, in July this year. Access the full text