OTTAWA, Oct. 5, 2018 /CNW/ - Canada is a trading nation and the Government of Canada is hard at work with provinces, territories and industry to increase market access opportunities around the globe. Free trade agreements like the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) help to grow the economy, create well-paying jobs, and contribute to Canada reaching the $75 billion target in agriculture, agri-food and seafood exports annually by 2025.
As part of the Government's efforts to foster growth and ensure farmers and food processors are better equipped to compete and succeed in international markets, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lawrence MacAulay, will travel to Spain, Belgium and Italy from October 8 to 11, 2018.
CETA, which came into force just over a year ago, enables Canada to seize opportunities to diversify trade and paves the way for Canadians to gain more access to the second-largest market globally. Minister MacAulay will meet with industry and his European counterparts to advance market access opportunities for Canadian agricultural products in the EU, the world's largest import market for agriculture and agri-food, giving our farmers, processors and exporters access to more than half a billion consumers.
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Quotes
"Free trade agreements like CETA encourage investment, open new markets and help our hard-working farmers and food processors compete around the world. I'm looking forward to traveling to the European Union to meet with industry and governments to advance market access opportunities for Canadian agriculture."
- The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
"Canada recently celebrated CETA's one-year anniversary, the landmark agreement with Europe that is ushering in scores of new opportunities for exporters, especially our small and medium-sized businesses. Now is the time to turn that access into new customers, clients and the good jobs that come with it."
- The Honourable Jim Carr, Minister of International Trade Diversification
Quick Facts
- The Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) entered into force on September 21, 2017.
- Under CETA, 94 percent of agricultural tariffs are duty-free and almost 96 percent of tariffs for fish and seafood products are duty-free, giving Canadian exporters an advantage over competitors in countries that do not have a free trade agreement with the EU.
- Canada exported C$3.4 billion of agri-food and seafood products to the EU in 2017.
- In 2017, the top five agri-food exports to the EU were soybeans, canola seeds, durum wheat, non-durum wheat and corn.
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SOURCE Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Katie Hawkins, Director of Communications, Office of the Honourable Lawrence Macaulay, 613-773-1059, [email protected]; Media Relations, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, 613-773-7972, 1-866-345-7972, [email protected]
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