Australia Lifts 22-Year Ban on Canadian Beef

Alberta cattle feeding on a ranch outside Calgary, in a file photo. David Buston/AFP/Getty Images

Australia has lifted its 22-year-old ban on the import of Canadian beef products, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says.

The agency announced on July 29 that the previous restrictions on imports from Canada have been lifted, re-opening the Australia market to Canadian beef and beef products.

Canada’s regained access to the Australia market offers economic potential for Canadian farmers and processors and contributes to global food security, the federal agency said in a statement.

“By opening access to premium markets like Australia, Canadian producers can increase exports, generating new revenue streams that fuel investments, sustain jobs, and support local economies from coast to coast,” the release says.

Australia also lifted similar restrictions on U.S. beef imports last week.

Australia first imposed import restrictions on Canadian beef in 2003, following Canada’s first case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in Canadian-born cattle. BSE, also known as mad cow disease, affects the central nervous system of cattle and gets worse over time, eventually causing death, the CFIA says.

In 2021, Canada was recognized by the World Organisation of Animal Health (WOAH) as having a “negligible risk” status for BSE.

A negligible risk status means Canada has not had any BSE cases in domestic animals born in the last 11 years. To maintain a negligible risk status, a country must also comply with other provisions set out by WOAH, such as implementing BSE awareness, education, and reporting programs, the CFIA says.

Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald said Canada is known around the world for producing top-quality beef.

“Strengthening our trade ties with Australia—one of our key partners in the Indo-Pacific—means more opportunities for Canadian farmers and processors to grow their businesses, create good jobs, and build up our economy,” MacDonald said in a June 29 statement.

The Canadian Cattle Association said it is “pleased” that Australia has opened up its market for Canadian beef, noting that Australia was one of the last remaining countries to have maintained BSE restrictions. The association represents Canada’s 60,000 beef farms and feedlots.

Canada exported $92.2 billion in agriculture and agri-food products (not including fish and seafood) globally in 2024, which was an increase from $91.6 billion in 2023. Canada ranked eighth for volume of beef exported in 2024, making Canada a “major global beef exporter,” the CFIA says.