Cattle association has beef with potential Mercosur trade deal

OTTAWA — Canadian cattle producers want the federal government to omit beef from the free trade agreement it is pushing to sign with the South American Mercosur trade bloc by the end of the year.

Tyler Fulton, Manitoba-based cattle producer and president of the Canadian Cattle Association, says a deal with Mercosur that includes beef access makes Canada more dependent on beef imports and hurts food security at home and abroad.

He says beef producers can’t continue producing beef at home and exporting it around the world if Canada’s domestic market is undercut by Mercosur countries.

Canada launched negotiations in 2018 seeking a free trade agreement with the South American trading bloc, which includes Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.