Source:  Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE, 8/19/11

A free-trade agreement between Canada and Colombia that will benefit Canadian beef exporters took effect this week, according to the American Meat Institute.

Under the pact, Colombian import tariffs on Canadian beef will be reduced to zero over a 12-year period. Set amounts of tariff-rate, duty-free quotas will increase over that period and eventually provide Canadian beef unlimited duty-free access.

Duties on Canadian pork, meawhile, will be phased out over 13 equal annual stages and will be duty-free afterward. Set amounts of tariff-rate quotas will start at 20 percent duty and phase out to zero within the tariff-rate quota in five equal annual stages.

Last year Canada exported more than $1.4 billion of beef and over $2.8 billion of pork to over 150 different countries around the world.

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