Canadian beef is back on the menu Down Under.
What happened: Australia lifted a 22-year ban on Canadian beef imports. The ban stemmed from the infamous outbreak of BSE — a.k.a. mad cow disease – in Canadian cattle, which cost domestic cattle producers $5 billion in the first 18 months of the crisis.
Why it matters: At first glance, Australia lifting the ban doesn’t look like a big deal, as the country is a major beef producer that exports far more than it imports. However, the reversal marks another step in the beef industry’s long march back from 2003’s mad cow outbreak.
- “Every time you remove one of those countries from that list [of countries that still have BSE bans], that’s another way to add to your case when you’re talking to an importing country,” Canadian Cattle Association GM Ryder Lee told Global News.
Big picture: Canada was the world’s third-biggest beef exporter before the industry was hit by global bans in 2003. While it has rebounded over the ensuing two decades, it hasn’t returned to that previous high and, in 2024, was the 11th-biggest beef exporter.
What’s next: Countries including Malaysia and Bolivia still have bans from 2003 in place. More importantly, China — a sizable market for Canadian beef with lots of room for potential growth — instituted a ban in 2021. The official reason was related to BSE concerns, but the motivations were potentially political.—QH