Source: AFP
British negotiators broke off free trade talks with Canada on Thursday after years of discussions between the two Commonwealth countries, Ottawa said.
British cheese imports into Canada and Canadian beef exports to the UK remain major sticking points, a source close to the negotiations told AFP.
“We are disappointed that negotiations with the United Kingdom are breaking down,” a spokesman for Canadian Trade Minister Mary Ng said in a statement.
“Their decision to continue to maintain market access barriers for our agricultural industry and unwillingness to reach a mutual agreement has only delayed the negotiations,” the official said.
Ng “has been in contact” with her British counterpart Kemi Badenoch “to express our disappointment”, the official added.
Britain began free trade negotiations with Canada — and others — after Brexit in 2020, hoping to gain market access it had through the European Union as well as deepen bilateral ties.
![](https://images.yen.com.gh/images/44fa30c62f1e7593.jpg?impolicy=cropped-image&imwidth=256)
![](https://images.yen.com.gh/images/44fa30c62f1e7593.jpg?impolicy=cropped-image&imwidth=256)
Read also
Microsoft lays off 1,900 employees after acquiring Activision gaming
In 2021, an interim agreement was signed with Britain, which retained many of the same terms as those of the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the EU.
But imports of British cheese into Canada ended at the end of December 2023. And other parts of the interim deal are set to expire in March.
Canada is pushing for more access to the UK for beef and pork producers.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, meanwhile, had promised Canadian dairy farmers not to import foreign cheeses under the strict dairy supply management system after making concessions to Washington on a North American free trade agreement.
Britain is Canada’s third largest trading partner.
Source: AFP