During an interview in Ottawa, Susannah Goshko, the British High Commissioner to Canada, discussed the uproar in the Prairie region over an expanded trade deal. Goshko suggested that Canadian ranchers could alter their beef operations to meet the U.K.’s standards and address concerns over the barring of hormone-raised beef imports to the U.K. The Canadian Cattle Association disagrees, stating that this concern is not based in science and the U.K. is already exporting more beef to Canada than the other way around.
The Canadian cattle industry wants Canada to prevent the U.K.’s entry into a Pacific Rim trade bloc and stop negotiating a separate U.K.-Canada trade deal until the U.K. changes its position on hormone-raised beef.
Goshko proposes that Canadian ranchers modify their methods of raising cows in preparation for a drastically increased amount of Canadian beef exports to the U.K. under the Pacific Rim deal. She also notes that successful negotiations for a bilateral trade deal can benefit both countries in areas like green technology and small businesses, specifically when compared to the European Union.