U.S./Canada Pact Could Ease Meat Trade

President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Wednesday announced two economic partnership initiatives that include streamlining meat and poultry certification requirements and better aligning Canadian and U.S. approaches to naming meat cuts.

The leaders introduced two documents: the Beyond the Border (BTB) Action Plan and the Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) Action Plan.

According to the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, the plans include commitments to:

• implement electronic border-related document transmission and receipt of clearance decisions for food and meat products no later than December 2013,
• reduce and eliminate duplicate meat inspections at the border through enhanced meat safety equivalence agreements,
• align Canadian and U.S. approaches to the naming of meat cuts,
• align application and review processes for veterinary drug approvals including efforts to establish identical maximum drug residue limits in both countries, and
• a number of other initiatives both within agriculture and related to movement of people and transporters across sectors.

The North American Meat Processors Association said in a note to its members that a common approach to naming meat cuts would allow for innovation and product development. It would also eliminate costs associated with inventory production and maintenance for firms selling into both markets. For consumers, it would provide a simple information system to make price comparisons and cooking decisions across both countries with no impact on food safety, according to NAMP.

In terms of streamlining cross-border product transmission, NAMP expressed hope that by relying on the controls and mitigation measures rooted in each country's systems, the United States and Canada could work towards agreement that a product coming from the other country is in compliance with the importing country's requirements and should not routinely trigger additional regulatory action.

Reprinted in part from meatingplace.com