At the Canadian Crops Convention in Montreal, the Canola Council of Canada met with Canada’s Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister, Marie-Claude Bibeau and with Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland to discuss the current situation with China.

The organization stressed the importance and urgency of responding to China’s decision to restrict imports of Canadian canola from Richardson International amid concerns about certain pests.

“The canola value chain is concerned about how Chinese restrictions impact our growers and the entire industry,” says Jim Everson, president of the Canola Council. “It’s important to resolve the issue quickly so we can resume stable trade that benefits both countries.”

Minister Bibeau noted that the issue remains a top priority of the Government of Canada, adding that plant health experts are working with China to resolve concerns raised about pests as soon as possible.

“If China’s concern is with specific quality issues, we should be able to resolve it quickly,” says Everson. “We have full confidence in the quality of Canadian canola exports and our quality assurance systems.”

Approximately 40% of Canada's exports of canola and canola products are consumed in China.

According to Statistics Canada, 2018 canola seed exports to China were worth $2.7 billion.