Pork exports to the South American nation could be worth $16M annually
By Diego Flammini
News Reporter
Farms.com
Argentina will once again accept imports of Canadian pork, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Global Affairs Canada, and Canada Pork International (CPI) announced yesterday.
“CPI is very pleased with this announcement,” Neil Ketilson, chair of CPI’s board of directors, said in a statement yesterday. “The Argentinian market represents a solid opportunity to further develop and diversify Canadian pork exports in South America.”
Exporters will ship pork to Argentina “immediately,” according to the release, which adds the market access could be worth $16 million annually.
Argentina began accepting Canadian pork imports in 1998. The country closed its doors to Canadian pork in 2002 due to feed additive concerns, including the use of ractopamine, an additive used to increase carcass leanness, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
In 2011, CPI requested that the CFIA and Department of Foreign Affairs work with Argentine officials to regain market access. Those conversations led to meetings last year between Prime Minister Trudeau and Argentine President Mauricio Macri.
Until this announcement, Argentina was one of the only South American countries to which Canada didn’t ship its pork.
Now that access has reopened, the Canadian pork industry can to strengthen its presence in South America, says Gary Stordy, public relations manager with the Canadian Pork Council.
“Canadian pork already has a strong presence in Chile,” he told Farms.com today. “There’s a network of buyers there that can build upon their sales with the Argentine access.”