AAFC/Joint Statement: Canadian and Mexican Agriculture ministers discuss BSE, commit to re-establishing beef and cattle trade
January 20, 2005; From a press release
OTTAWA, ONTARIO - Canada's Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Andy Mitchell, and Mexico's Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food, Javier Usabiaga Arroyo, endorsed the collaborative spirit and goodwill established between the two countries.
The two Ministers discussed the North American response to the BSE situation and focussed on re-establishing trade in meat products, including breeding animals, and explored options to achieve this.

"We have a strong regulatory system in place to protect human and animal health and to eliminate over time any incidence of BSE that may still exist in the herd," said Mr. Mitchell. "I shared with Secretary Usabiaga Canada's confidence in the integrity of our current feed ban and its effectiveness in protecting animal and human health."

During the meeting, Secretary Usabiaga commended Canada for the thoroughness and transparency of its response to BSE. He and Minister Mitchell reaffirmed the commitment of both Canada and Mexico to measures based on science.
Mexico expressed confidence that there is a low prevalence of BSE in the livestock in North America and that effective measures are in place to protect human and animal health.

"Cooperation between Mexico and Canada will further strengthen the relationship between the two countries that began during the last decade," stated Secretary Usabiaga. "This is demonstrated by trade between our two countries which has increased significantly since the implementation of the NAFTA in 1994, now reaching $4.5 billion annually."

Minister Mitchell and Secretary Usabiaga talked about other agriculture and trade issues in which the two countries share a common interest in, such as rural development and biotechnology, and directed officials to hold an early meeting to begin working on these issues. "As a member of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Mexico is one of Canada's most important trading partners," said Mr. Mitchell. "We value each other's commitment to ongoing government and commercial cooperation for the benefit of our respective agriculture industries."

These positive discussions affirm the quality of relations between both nations, which was acknowledged by the agreement made in October 2004 between Mexico's President Vicente Fox and Canada's Prime Minister, Paul Martin, to create the Canada - Mexico Partnership (CMP). The CMP is a presidential and prime ministerial led initiative for coordinating bilateral activities between government, industry and academia intended to create business and socio-economic opportunities.

Canada and Mexico continue to explore new and greater opportunities to make maximum use of the benefits offered by the NAFTA, with the purpose of increasing prosperity in the North American region.