Taiwan is fully embracing Canadian beef again.

The nation announced it will lift the last set of restrictions on beef from Canada over the coming weeks.

President of the Canadian Cattle Association Nathan Phinney (Finney) says it’s great news.

“The removal of them is a clear signal that we have a desired product and they’re ready to go back to science-based trade.” Phinney said.

Taiwan has had restrictions in place following the discovery of a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in 2003. Phinney noted some restrictions applied to over 30-month-old cattle and any offals.

This news comes on the heels of federal minister of international trade, Mary Ng, attending recent the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting, and after Canada attained BSE-negligible status by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) in 2021.

Phinney says the Indo-Pacific region is an important market.

“The whole Indo-Pacific region is becoming more and more of an important market for Canada and diversification is going to be key to any growth in our industry.” he said.

Last year, Canada exported $13.9-million of beef to Taiwan.

Hear the full interview with Nathan Phinney below.