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Canada sends live breeding cattle, sheep, and goats to Vietnam!

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada: New Markets Now Open for Canadian Producers

For the First Time Since 2003, An Asian Market Has Opened Its Doors to Canadian Live Breeding Cattle, Sheep and Goats

Ottawa, Ontario --(Marketwire - Aug. 14, 2011) - Canadian ranchers of live breeding cattle, sheep and goats will now benefit from access to the Vietnamese market, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and International Trade Minister Ed Fast announced today. The new market is worth up to $50 million and will lead to the first commercially significant sales of these Canadian animals into Asia since 2003.

"Our Government is focused on completing the economic recovery by opening new markets for Canadian goods and services," said Minister Ritz. "The Vietnamese market is now reopened to live breeding cattle, sheep and goats and trade can resume immediately, which will benefit Canadian ranchers."

"Canadian farmers and their families know that international trade is fundamental to their financial security, and our government wants to help them through freer trade and by securing access to new markets," said Minister Fast. "Canada welcomes this decision by Vietnam. Closer economic ties with Southeast Asia will create jobs and opportunities for Canadians."

"The achievement of this milestone is one more example of the effectiveness of the ongoing partnership between the Canadian Government and Industry.

We are now in an enviable position to exploit the high quality of our Canadian livestock population's traceability, transparent genetic ability verification systems, high health standards and, importantly, the willingness of Canadian industry to provide support resources to enable the Vietnamese to take full advantage of Canada's economically tested cattle, sheep and goat performances, "said Rick McRonald, Executive Director of the Canadian Livestock Genetics Association (CLGA).

The industry estimates the total market value for imports of live ruminants in Vietnam worth close to $50 million, of which Canada can now compete for its share.

AAFC Backgrounder: Access for Canadian Live Breeding Cattle, Sheep and Goats to Vietnam

Canadian industry has been working with the government to gain access to the Vietnam market for several years. Vietnam's Department of Animal Health has now formally approved the Canadian export health certificates for live cattle and live goat and sheep, allowing trade to resume immediately. Canadian exporters can find the required documentation on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) web site at www.inspection.gc.ca.

Securing access opens a new market for Canadian livestock and genetics. The industry estimates the total market value for imports of live ruminants in Vietnam worth close to $50 million.

In addition to live breeding cattle, sheep and goats, Canada also has access for the following related products: all beef from animals of all ages; beef offal (heart, liver, and kidney); bovine semen; bovine embryos; ovine semen; ovine embryos; caprine semen; caprine embryos.

Market Access Restrictions for Canadian live ruminant animals

Following Canada's announcement of its first case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in May 2003, Vietnam banned imports of Canadian live cattle, along with beef and beef products.

In June 2007, Canada formally requested access for all beef and cattle based on Canada's BSE controlled risk status as determined by the World Organization for Animal Health. Vietnam consistently indicated that it would take a phased approach in which it would first make a decision on expanded beef access, followed by a decision on cattle. Full access for Canadian beef was secured in July 2010. The Vietnamese industry has expressed strong interest in live cattle from Canada as well as live sheep and goats.

The Canadian Livestock Genetics Association (CLGA) and Vietnam's National Institute of Animal Sciences signed in October 2010 a cooperation agreement with respect to livestock genetics improvement for sheep and goats in Vietnam. Today's announcement allows this project to proceed without delay.

Vietnam now open to Canada's live cattle, sheep, goats

August 14, 2011 Manitobacooperator.ca

In what the Canadian government calls a "milestone" decision, Vietnam has become the first Asian market since 2003 to accept live Canadian breeding cattle, sheep and goats.

That means Canada may now compete for its share of a Vietnamese market for live ruminants estimated as worth nearly $50 million, the government said in a release Sunday.

The formal approval from Vietnam's animal health department for Canadian export health certificates for live cattle and live goats and sheep, allowing trade to resume "immediately," is expected to lead to "the first commercially significant sales of these Canadian animals into Asia since 2003."

The Vietnamese industry has expressed "strong interest" in live cattle from Canada as well as live sheep and goats, the government said. Vietnam was one of many export markets to close its ports to Canadian beef and cattle in 2003 following Canada's confirmation of its first domestic case of BSE in an Alberta cow.

Hanoi "consistently indicated" it would take a phased approach to resume Canada's access to the Vietnamese market, first on beef, then on cattle, the Canadian government said Sunday. All Canadian beef from animals of all ages was granted full access in July last year.

Canada also has access to Vietnam for beef offal (heart, liver, and kidney); bovine semen and embryos; ovine (sheep) semen and embryos; and caprine (goat) semen and embryos.

"Enviable position"

Sunday's announcement therefore also gives the go-ahead "without delay" to a co-operative project announced last October between the Canadian Livestock Genetics Association (CLGA) and Vietnam's National Institute of Animal Sciences on livestock genetics improvement for sheep and goats in Vietnam.

"We are now in an enviable position to exploit the high quality of our Canadian livestock population's traceability, transparent genetic ability verification systems, high health standards and, importantly, the willingness of Canadian industry to provide support resources to enable the Vietnamese to take full advantage of Canada's economically tested cattle, sheep and goat performances," Rick McRonald, executive director for the Guelph-based CLGA, said in the government's release.

The Canadian Cattlemen's Association on Sunday hailed what it called the government's "latest market access breakthrough to benefit Canada's beef sector." "Securing access to new markets and gaining expanded access in existing markets is crucial to returning profitability to Canadian cattle producers," CCA president Travis Toews, who farms at Beaverlodge, Alta., said in a separate release. "Canadian breeding cattle offer some of the best genetics in the world and this agreement will help drive sales."

Comment: This is unbelievable. It’s up to each and every one of us to speak up for the innocent and voiceless. To help you in taking action visit our contacts page.

Update: September 23, 2011 Canadian Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced that Serbia and Malaysia are now accepting exports of sheep and goats. This is scandalous – please write!

November 15, 2011 Response from Gerry Ritz over concerns

May 21, 2015 Agriculture department on defensive over Vietnam cattle

Comment: Live export needs to be banned immediately. No words can adequately describe the horror and sheer inhumanity. Enough is enough. In previous correspondence we had with the CFIA, we were advised that the “CFIA has no regulatory basis on which to interfere with a shipment of animals that has left Canadian territory and is under the jurisdiction of another sovereign country.”

In Australia, more than 2,500,000 sheep, cattle, and goats have died on live export ships since 1981. (Source: SAFE condemns massive live sheep export to Mexico, June 10, 2015)

July 1, 2015 Desperate Cow Does The Unthinkable To Escape Slaughter

October 15, 2015 Massive shipload of cattle sinks in piranha-infested Amazon

February 2, 2016 Georgia to accept Canadian breeding cattle, hogs

Comment: Sadly, this is the decision of our newly-elected Liberal Party. We would like to see all live export banned on humane and legal grounds. Animals are not commodities to be exploited for profit!

Scroll down our Factory Farming page to read more on the cruel and immoral live export trade.

November 25, 2019 Romania tries to rescue 14,600 trapped sheep on capsized vessel. They were destined for Saudi Arabia and nearly every one of these poor animals drowned. It is unconscionable that these death ships are still in existence today, yet governments permit it – all in the relentless pursuit of profits and greed.

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