Source: MEATINGPLACE, 6/27/19



China has asked Canada to stop issuing meat export certificates to the country after an investigation into ractopamine findings in a batch of Canadian pork products turned up counterfeit veterinary health certificates, the Chinese embassy said in a statement.

The embassy said 188 forged certificates have been discovered. The certificates were sent to Chinese regulatory authorities through Canada’s official notification channel, the online statement said. 

“We hope the Canadian side would attach great importance to this incident, complete the investigation as soon as possible and take effective measures to ensure the safety of food exported to China in a more responsible manner,” the embassy statement said.

Earlier this month, China announced it would block pork imports from a third Canadian processor after inspectors discovered the banned additive ractopamine in a shipment and promised to inspect all Canadian meat sent to China. 

Canada’s minister of agriculture on Wednesday said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police had been called in to investigate the origins of the shipment that arrived in China with a fake Canadian export certificate because it is a criminal case, CBC News reported. Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said Canadian and Chinese officials are working together closely to find out what happened.

Canadian pork exports to China have increased by 50% so far this year over the 2018 level in the wake of China’s African swine fever outbreak, Bloomberg reported.

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