OTTAWA — Cattle producers have won some duty-free access to the lucrative European Union market for beef produced without growth hormones.
But concern about the hormones continues to keep most Canadian beef products off dinner plates in Europe and other countries such as Japan.
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz says the deal will provide duty-free access to a 20,000-tonne beef export quota in the European market worth about $10 million a year for Canadian producers.
“Industry and government have been working hard to get increased access to the EU market,” Ritz said Tuesday. “This is a tremendous deal that will help Canadian producers.”
The EU does not allow imports of beef products if they were produced with growth hormones, even though the World Trade Organization has ruled that the policy is not scientifically justified.
Some researchers have suggested that eating hormone-treated beef may be linked to some forms of cancer and may cause girls to reach puberty early.
Hormones are used by many beef producers in Canada, the United States and other countries to increase the weight of cattle prior to slaughter.
The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association said the ruling means Canadian producers will now have a share of the export quota to the EU for hormone-free beef with countries such as the U.S. and Australia.
Association president Travis Toews called the deal an extremely important step that will provide another market for ranchers who choose to raise beef without growth hormones.
“It will provide ... new marketing options and encourage others,” he said from Calgary.
“Finally we can scratch the potential of this market.”
Ritz said the federal government has also reached a memorandum of understanding with the European Commission to resolve a dispute at the World Trade Organization over beef hormones.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Stephen Harper was unsuccessful in persuading Japan to end its ban on Canadian beef raised with growth hormones.
Ottawa contends that some countries are using hormones as an excuse to protect their own beef markets from competitive Canadian exports.