ByKathy LeOpens
Published: February 01, 2026
Cattle crowd around a feeder on the Perepelkin family farm near Leslieville, Alta.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Canada is resuming beef exports to China after a years-long ban that shut down a major overseas market, a move some Alberta producers say comes at a critical time as national cattle supplies remain low and beef prices stay high.
The ban was imposed in late 2021 after an atypical case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, was detected on an Alberta farm.
“It’s always good news when a new market is made available to us,” said John Smith, who operates Plateau Cattle Co., near Nanton, Alta.
“As we can see with the world’s geopolitical landscape, tariffs on, tariffs off, I think it’s great to have increased market access across the world.”
On a sunny afternoon at his ranch, Smith watched his cattle graze calmly, largely unaffected by the global trade decisions shaping their future.
Some of those animals, Smith said, will eventually be sold to large processors, with the beef destined for markets both near and far, including China.
Smith said China fills a specific niche for Canadian producers by purchasing cuts that are less in demand domestically.
Half of Saskatchewan cattle exports now head abroad, key markets include Japan, Mexico, and South Korea. Damian Smith reports.
“Having a place for those cuts to go does nothing but improve the economics for cow calf producers, feedlot operators and packers,” he said.
Before the ban, Canadian beef exports to China hit nearly $200 million per year.
Industry experts say exports could eventually return to pre ban levels, but rebuilding the market will take time.
The Canadian Cattle Association says large processors could begin shipping beef to China within weeks, though moving significant volumes will be slower because of limited supply.
“We do have very tight cattle numbers in both Canada and the United States,” said Dennis Laycraft, executive vice president of the association.
“That’s going to limit the overall exports that we do sell, but we do continue to export large quantities of beef. And we are exporting live cattle. So, we do know that we are able to start to build that market again.”
Herd sizes across Canada have been reduced by prolonged drought, forcing many producers to scale back.
Smith said if rainfall improves and herd numbers begin to recover, demand from China could help keep beef prices steady.
“It’s probably going to hold the price where it is,” he said.
“It might decrease slightly, but trade partners come in and trade partners go.”
For producers, Smith said long term stability is important.
“As producers and feedlot operators, we can actually invest with confidence and increase supply.”
Still, he said, given China’s history of abruptly suspending imports, questions remain about how reliable the market will be over the long term.
Kathy Le
Journalist, CTV National News
Canada is resuming beef exports to China after a years-long ban that shut down a major overseas market, a move some Alberta producers say comes at a critical time as national cattle supplies remain low and beef prices stay high.
The ban was imposed in late 2021 after an atypical case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, was detected on an Alberta farm.
“It’s always good news when a new market is made available to us,” said John Smith, who operates Plateau Cattle Co., near Nanton, Alta.
“As we can see with the world’s geopolitical landscape, tariffs on, tariffs off, I think it’s great to have increased market access across the world.”
On a sunny afternoon at his ranch, Smith watched his cattle graze calmly, largely unaffected by the global trade decisions shaping their future.
Some of those animals, Smith said, will eventually be sold to large processors, with the beef destined for markets both near and far, including China.
Smith said China fills a specific niche for Canadian producers by purchasing cuts that are less in demand domestically.
Half of Saskatchewan cattle exports now head abroad, key markets include Japan, Mexico, and South Korea. Damian Smith reports.
“Having a place for those cuts to go does nothing but improve the economics for cow calf producers, feedlot operators and packers,” he said.
Before the ban, Canadian beef exports to China hit nearly $200 million per year.
Industry experts say exports could eventually return to pre ban levels, but rebuilding the market will take time.
The Canadian Cattle Association says large processors could begin shipping beef to China within weeks, though moving significant volumes will be slower because of limited supply.
“We do have very tight cattle numbers in both Canada and the United States,” said Dennis Laycraft, executive vice president of the association.
“That’s going to limit the overall exports that we do sell, but we do continue to export large quantities of beef. And we are exporting live cattle. So, we do know that we are able to start to build that market again.”
Herd sizes across Canada have been reduced by prolonged drought, forcing many producers to scale back.
Smith said if rainfall improves and herd numbers begin to recover, demand from China could help keep beef prices steady.
“It’s probably going to hold the price where it is,” he said.
“It might decrease slightly, but trade partners come in and trade partners go.”
For producers, Smith said long term stability is important.
“As producers and feedlot operators, we can actually invest with confidence and increase supply.”
Still, he said, given China’s history of abruptly suspending imports, questions remain about how reliable the market will be over the long term.
Kathy Le
Journalist, CTV National News
First exports of canola seed and beef soon going to China: agriculture minister
ByThe Canadian Press
Updated: January 20, 2026
Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald discusses the tariffs that were lifted following the China-Canada deal, and if Ottawa will drop tariffs on Chinese steel.
China is moving quickly to import Canadian canola and beef after Ottawa struck a deal with Beijing to reduce tariffs, Federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald said Tuesday.
MacDonald told reporters in Ottawa a Chinese importer has ordered 60,000 metric tonnes of canola seed, and he’s aware of a company shipping its first load of Canadian beef to China next week.
It’s expected be the first time China has purchased Canadian canola seed and beef since it imposed measures to block the products.
“That’s how quickly this whole process has taken place,” MacDonald said. “When the door opened, it opened.”
MacDonald made the comments while announcing Ottawa is beginning a round of consultations on a new agreement that will provide funding and programming to the agriculture sector in 2028 and beyond.
News of the planned shipments also come as Canada recalibrates its trading relationship with China.
On Monday, China lifted its ban on Canadian beef imports after an atypical case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy — known as BSE or mad cow disease — was found on an Alberta farm in 2021. BSE is a fatal brain disease in cattle and atypical strains pose no health risks to humans.
And last week, Beijing reduced tariffs on Canadian canola seed and at least temporarily removed levies on canola meal, lobsters, crabs and peas. In exchange, Ottawa made concessions on Chinese electric vehicle duties.
MacDonald said China’s lifting of the beef ban, along with reducing or removing agriculture tariffs, helps Canada access more markets to grow its economy.
Canada’s farmers and food processors contribute $150 billion, or 7 per cent, to the country’s GDP each year, he added.
The Canadian Cattle Association welcomed the news of access to China being restored.
“We are pleased to see renewed access into China, one of the largest export markets for beef. Every market matters to Canadian beef farmers and ranchers; it supports our industry’s resilience and growth,” Tyler Fulton, the association’s president, said in a statement.
MacDonald said there’s more work to do on Canadian pork, which continues to face Chinese tariffs.
“We need to further identify the situation with China ... to ensure that we’re meeting their demands and they’re meeting our demands,” he said.
On the canola seed shipment, MacDonald didn’t say when it will be exported, though tariffs on the crop are to be reduced on March 1.
Farmers have been patient, he added. “The consultation and the professionalism that they showed us as government officials has been second to none,” MacDonald said.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, whose province grows more than half of the country’s canola, repeated his thanks to Prime Minister Mark Carney for getting the deal done.
Moe told reporters Tuesday in Saskatoon the agreement is “huge” for the Saskatchewan and Canadian economies. “This agreement with China is one of the strongest agreements that I have seen in my elected time,” he said.
“It’s significant for a rancher as it is for a canola farmer.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has been critical of the deal, arguing it further threatens his province’s auto sector, which is already squeezed by tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump. The agreement allows up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles into Canada at a vastly reduced tariff rate of 6.1 per cent.
Moe said the figure represents three per cent of Canada’s electric vehicle market.
“To say that this is favouring one province over another, that is just simply not a true statement,” Moe said. “This is a decision that is in the best interest of Canada.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 20, 2026
With files from Catherine Morrison in Ottawa
Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press
ByThe Canadian Press
Updated: January 20, 2026
Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald discusses the tariffs that were lifted following the China-Canada deal, and if Ottawa will drop tariffs on Chinese steel.
China is moving quickly to import Canadian canola and beef after Ottawa struck a deal with Beijing to reduce tariffs, Federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald said Tuesday.
MacDonald told reporters in Ottawa a Chinese importer has ordered 60,000 metric tonnes of canola seed, and he’s aware of a company shipping its first load of Canadian beef to China next week.
It’s expected be the first time China has purchased Canadian canola seed and beef since it imposed measures to block the products.
“That’s how quickly this whole process has taken place,” MacDonald said. “When the door opened, it opened.”
MacDonald made the comments while announcing Ottawa is beginning a round of consultations on a new agreement that will provide funding and programming to the agriculture sector in 2028 and beyond.
News of the planned shipments also come as Canada recalibrates its trading relationship with China.
On Monday, China lifted its ban on Canadian beef imports after an atypical case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy — known as BSE or mad cow disease — was found on an Alberta farm in 2021. BSE is a fatal brain disease in cattle and atypical strains pose no health risks to humans.
And last week, Beijing reduced tariffs on Canadian canola seed and at least temporarily removed levies on canola meal, lobsters, crabs and peas. In exchange, Ottawa made concessions on Chinese electric vehicle duties.
MacDonald said China’s lifting of the beef ban, along with reducing or removing agriculture tariffs, helps Canada access more markets to grow its economy.
Canada’s farmers and food processors contribute $150 billion, or 7 per cent, to the country’s GDP each year, he added.
The Canadian Cattle Association welcomed the news of access to China being restored.
“We are pleased to see renewed access into China, one of the largest export markets for beef. Every market matters to Canadian beef farmers and ranchers; it supports our industry’s resilience and growth,” Tyler Fulton, the association’s president, said in a statement.
MacDonald said there’s more work to do on Canadian pork, which continues to face Chinese tariffs.
“We need to further identify the situation with China ... to ensure that we’re meeting their demands and they’re meeting our demands,” he said.
On the canola seed shipment, MacDonald didn’t say when it will be exported, though tariffs on the crop are to be reduced on March 1.
Farmers have been patient, he added. “The consultation and the professionalism that they showed us as government officials has been second to none,” MacDonald said.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, whose province grows more than half of the country’s canola, repeated his thanks to Prime Minister Mark Carney for getting the deal done.
Moe told reporters Tuesday in Saskatoon the agreement is “huge” for the Saskatchewan and Canadian economies. “This agreement with China is one of the strongest agreements that I have seen in my elected time,” he said.
“It’s significant for a rancher as it is for a canola farmer.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has been critical of the deal, arguing it further threatens his province’s auto sector, which is already squeezed by tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump. The agreement allows up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles into Canada at a vastly reduced tariff rate of 6.1 per cent.
Moe said the figure represents three per cent of Canada’s electric vehicle market.
“To say that this is favouring one province over another, that is just simply not a true statement,” Moe said. “This is a decision that is in the best interest of Canada.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 20, 2026
With files from Catherine Morrison in Ottawa
Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press
‘Value recovery can start now’: Canola industry reacts to China tariff cuts
ByAnam Khan
Published: January 16, 2026
Rick White, CEO and president of the Canadian Canola Growers Association, joins BNN Bloomberg to discuss trade deal with China and it's impact on Canadian canola growers.
Canola farmers can finally begin recovering from the significant losses suffered under tariffs imposed by China last year, said the head of the Canadian Canola Growers Association.
That comes after Prime Minister Mark Carney reached a deal with China during his visit this week, joined by Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe.Carney reaches ‘landmark’ tariff-quota deal with China on EVs, canola
Carney said tariffs on Canadian canola are expected to drop in some cases to about 16 per cent, in return for Canada allowing about 49,000 electric vehicles from China into the country each year at a tariff just over six per cent.
“We are very hopeful and optimistic to some degree, that the success of this will be determined by the movement of canola, the sales of canola going back into China,” Rick White, CEO and president of the Canadian Canola Growers Association, told BNN Bloomberg.
“The value recovery can start now.”
How much tariffs dropped on different canola products
There are three main canola products in the industry: seed, meal, and oil. Each is affected by tariffs differently.
ByAnam Khan
Published: January 16, 2026
Rick White, CEO and president of the Canadian Canola Growers Association, joins BNN Bloomberg to discuss trade deal with China and it's impact on Canadian canola growers.
Canola farmers can finally begin recovering from the significant losses suffered under tariffs imposed by China last year, said the head of the Canadian Canola Growers Association.
That comes after Prime Minister Mark Carney reached a deal with China during his visit this week, joined by Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe.Carney reaches ‘landmark’ tariff-quota deal with China on EVs, canola
Carney said tariffs on Canadian canola are expected to drop in some cases to about 16 per cent, in return for Canada allowing about 49,000 electric vehicles from China into the country each year at a tariff just over six per cent.
“We are very hopeful and optimistic to some degree, that the success of this will be determined by the movement of canola, the sales of canola going back into China,” Rick White, CEO and president of the Canadian Canola Growers Association, told BNN Bloomberg.
“The value recovery can start now.”
How much tariffs dropped on different canola products
There are three main canola products in the industry: seed, meal, and oil. Each is affected by tariffs differently.
Ottawa expects Beijing to drop canola seed duties to 15 per cent from 84 per cent by Mar. 1, 2026.
Canola seed is by far the biggest component of the trade with China, and tariffs are expected to drop from 76 per cent to 15 per cent, White said.
“That’s a significant drop,” he said, adding the industry sends about six million tonnes of canola seed into that market, worth roughly $4 billion.
Canola meal tariffs have dropped from 100 per cent to zero starting March 1. The product is a byproduct of crushed canola seeds used to extract oil.
They’re used for livestock and poultry feed around the world, and “China has heavy demand for proteins like canola meal and other meals of oilseed products like soybeans,” White said.
Canola oil is the smallest part of the industry, and tariffs remain at 100 per cent.
How hard did tariffs hit the industry?
White said canola farmers saw a significant decline in crop value after China imposed tariffs in retaliation for Canadian levies on electric vehicles last year.
He said the tariffs weighed heavily on futures prices, which are agreed-upon prices for delivery later.
Canola seed is by far the biggest component of the trade with China, and tariffs are expected to drop from 76 per cent to 15 per cent, White said.
“That’s a significant drop,” he said, adding the industry sends about six million tonnes of canola seed into that market, worth roughly $4 billion.
Canola meal tariffs have dropped from 100 per cent to zero starting March 1. The product is a byproduct of crushed canola seeds used to extract oil.
They’re used for livestock and poultry feed around the world, and “China has heavy demand for proteins like canola meal and other meals of oilseed products like soybeans,” White said.
Canola oil is the smallest part of the industry, and tariffs remain at 100 per cent.
How hard did tariffs hit the industry?
White said canola farmers saw a significant decline in crop value after China imposed tariffs in retaliation for Canadian levies on electric vehicles last year.
He said the tariffs weighed heavily on futures prices, which are agreed-upon prices for delivery later.
Farmer Bill Prybylski stands in a canola field on his farm near Yorkton, Sask., in this 2023 handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (Mandatory Credit) (HO/The Canadian Press)
He explained farmers were suffering because the difference between the futures price and the cash price they actually receive, called the basis, widened even more as futures prices fell.
“At the end of the day, what happened was there was significant value deterioration of the canola that was grown by farmers,” White said. “Farmers had all this production. It’s in their bins right now, and the values were tumbling.”
The U.S. and China are Canada’s largest Canola buyers
In a regular year without tariffs, Canada produces about 21 million tonnes of canola seed, and about six million tonnes typically go to China, said White.
“It’s very, very important to us,” he said.
Canola production is heavily concentrated in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba and the Peace River region of British Columbia, accounting for 99 per cent of all seeded area, according to Statistics Canada.
The U.S. market is the top export destination for Canadian canola products, with a total export value of $7.7 billion in 2024, and more than 7.4 million tonnes shipped to the U.S according to the association.
“We can’t have problems with our two major export markets without having a substantial negative impact on the livelihoods of western Canadian farmers,” White said.
He said canola products are moving smoothly under the CUSMA deal, with no tariffs in place.
‘What got us here were political decisions’
White said the canola industry was the subject of the political decision that triggered this in the first place, and that getting trade back with China, Canada’s second-largest export market for canola, ultimately came down to political decisions too.
“But we are very, very supportive and very thankful to the group of the delegation that went over there, that politically went over there, because that’s what it took to get this done,” said White.
“Canola is a major contributing factor to the western Canadian economy, and farmers in particular.”
Anam Khan
Journalist, BNNBloomberg.ca
He explained farmers were suffering because the difference between the futures price and the cash price they actually receive, called the basis, widened even more as futures prices fell.
“At the end of the day, what happened was there was significant value deterioration of the canola that was grown by farmers,” White said. “Farmers had all this production. It’s in their bins right now, and the values were tumbling.”
The U.S. and China are Canada’s largest Canola buyers
In a regular year without tariffs, Canada produces about 21 million tonnes of canola seed, and about six million tonnes typically go to China, said White.
“It’s very, very important to us,” he said.
Canola production is heavily concentrated in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba and the Peace River region of British Columbia, accounting for 99 per cent of all seeded area, according to Statistics Canada.
The U.S. market is the top export destination for Canadian canola products, with a total export value of $7.7 billion in 2024, and more than 7.4 million tonnes shipped to the U.S according to the association.
“We can’t have problems with our two major export markets without having a substantial negative impact on the livelihoods of western Canadian farmers,” White said.
He said canola products are moving smoothly under the CUSMA deal, with no tariffs in place.
‘What got us here were political decisions’
White said the canola industry was the subject of the political decision that triggered this in the first place, and that getting trade back with China, Canada’s second-largest export market for canola, ultimately came down to political decisions too.
“But we are very, very supportive and very thankful to the group of the delegation that went over there, that politically went over there, because that’s what it took to get this done,” said White.
“Canola is a major contributing factor to the western Canadian economy, and farmers in particular.”
Anam Khan
Journalist, BNNBloomberg.ca
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