— Mary Ng (@mary_ng) May 26, 2023
“Great news for Canadian beef farmers and exporters! Today, at the APEC, Taiwan confirmed that in a couple weeks Canadian beef exporters will have full access to the Taiwanese market,” she tweeted on May 25. “As we negotiate our Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPPA), we continue to foster opportunities between our two economies, creating good jobs for Taiwanese and Canadian workers!”
In February, Minister Ng and Taiwanese representative John Deng agreed to begin formal negotiations on the FIPPA and include agriculture in those conversations.
Taiwan and Canada have had inconsistent beef trade.
Taiwan imposed restrictions on Canadian beef in 2003 after BSE. Those restrictions remained in place until 2007 when it allowed boneless beef from animals under 30 months.
Taiwan again rejected Canadian beef imports in 2015 after another case of Canadian BSE. Those restrictions lasted until July 2016.
Taiwan is Canada’s 13th largest trading partner and 5th largest in Asia.
In 2022, Canada exported 1,185 tonnes of beef to Taiwan, valued at nearly $14 million.
The Canadian beef sector welcomes the news about the Taiwanese market.
“Taiwan to provide full access to #CdnBeef exports. This is welcome news for Canadian cattle farmers and ranchers. Thank you Minister (Ng) for your work on this file,” the organization said on Twitter.