Canadian Cheese Importers Disappointed by Pause in U.K. – Canada FTA Negotiations

OTTAWA, ON, January 26, 2024 – The International Cheese Council of Canada (ICCC) is deeply disappointed with the recent news that bilateral negotiations between Canada and the United Kingdom (U.K.) have been paused indefinitely. After eight rounds of negotiations, talks have reached a stalemate over the two parties’ inability to come to an agreement on strategic sectors such as imported cheese.

“Small and medium-sized Canadian importers and distributors have spent decades building and investing in trade relationships with British cheese suppliers,” said Joe Dal Ferro, ICCC Chair. “The expiry of the Cheese Letters and this pause put our significant efforts in jeopardy. We feel abandoned by both governments.”

Currently, importers have to use the WTO Cheese TRQ Non-EU Reserve to import British cheeses, which is small and already has a utilization rate in excess of 95 percent and a limit of approximately 6 million kilograms. This outcome, resulting from the expiry of the Trade Continuity Agreement (TCA) Cheese Letters, has created significant business disruptions to the cheese importing industry and will cripple cheese importers as well as small cheese shops across Canada.

“We were looking forward to a free trade agreement that would benefit small and medium-sized enterprises on both sides of the Atlantic and foster bilateral trade,” added Dal Ferro. “We call on both governments to come back to the table and secure an outcome that would benefit businesses and consumers across Canada and the U.K.”

The International Cheese Council of Canada (ICCC) will continue to collaborate with officials on both sides of the Atlantic towards fostering international trade that benefits Canadian importers, their valued British export partners, and Canadian consumers.