China, Philippines suspend beef imports from Canada after BSE case

China and the Philippines have suspended imports of Canadian beef due to Canada's detection in December of a cow infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), a spokesperson for Canada's agriculture department said on Monday.

The moves follow an import suspension by South Korea last month,  which is worth about $90 million per year to Canada's beef industry, after Canada reported its first BSE case in six years.

China is the world's biggest importer of beef and veal, and Canada's third-biggest export market, according to the Canadian Cattlemen's Association (CCA). It imports approximately $170 million of Canadian beef annually, while the Philippines annually import about $13 million.

Dennis Laycraft, executive vice president at CCA, says there are a few countries that have asked for more information following the discovery of the case, but the majority of trading partners are not putting restrictions in place...

This was excerpted from the 11 January 2022 edition of CBC News.