While new bilateral trade agreements present many opportunities, international trade is also becoming much more complicated for agriculture companies in the export business, say the authors of a report published by the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (read the paper here.)
With bilateral deals with the European Union, Japan and South Korea in the works, keeping track of rapidly changing barriers to trade can be a challenge for Canadian exporters, notes CAPI president and CEO David McInnes in the interview below.
“We have to as an agri-food economy really be as strategic as we possibly can around negotiating these deals and in following through and understanding what the non-tariff and new barriers are,” he says.
Given the more complex trading environment, the paper suggests agricultural companies involved in international trade should conduct “trade barrier audits” to understand current and potential obstacles.
“It requires a much more comprehensive analytical view of the whole chain to get product to market,” says McInnes, who authored the report together with Al Mussell of the George Morris Centre and John Weekes of Bennett Jones.
Related: How to Prepare for CETA’s Arrival
Listen to David McInnes’ conversation with RealAg’s Kelvin Heppner:
If you can’t see the audio player, click here.
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