Canada investigates suspected foul play in pork shipment that led to China ban
- Ottawa has called in Royal Canadian Mounted Police to look into whether cargo came from another source
- Suspension over bogus documents means Canadian meat exports may have to find new home in US and elsewhere, such as Japan and South Korea
A controversial pork shipment that prompted China to halt Canadian imports may have come from someplace else, according to the government in Ottawa.
China’s suspension threatens to upend meat trade flows at a time when African swine fever is already disrupting markets across the globe. Meanwhile, Canada said it is investigating the pork cargo, which came attached with counterfeit health certificates.
“There is someone out there who is falsifying Canadian certificates because they think it is in their interest to do it,” Trade Minister Jim Carr said in an interview with BNN Bloomberg. “It’s criminal and we’ll get to the bottom of it as soon as we can.”
The government has called in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to probe the matter.
The Chinese suspension coincides with flaring tension between the nations following Canada’s arrest of Huawei Technologies Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou at the request of the US last year. The Asian nation has since detained two Canadians and revoked canola import licenses for two exporters from Canada, citing pests being found in shipments.