Months before the signing of the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, the Canadian beef industry leaders contacted our president with the aim of organizing a special mission to Colombia to meet key stakeholders of the Colombian beef value chain. During the visit, the Canadian representatives met cattle breeders associations, livestock and genetics companies, slaughterhouse and processing meat plants, grocery stores chains and beef importers. The delegation also met the Colombian Cattlemen’s’ Federation, FEDEGAN and the Colombian sanitary authority, ICA.

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“Upon learning the results of the U.S.-Colombia agreement and consulting with Canadian officials as to the status of our negotiations, the CCA, along with the Canada Beef Export Federation and the Canadian Beef Breeds Council, felt it was important that we travel to Colombia and meet with our counterparts. We did that in early March, and we had excellent meetings with the Colombian Cattlemen's Federation—they're known as FEDEGAN—and we also met with the various breeders' associations. We met with key officials in charge of what is the Colombian equivalent of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. We also met with beef processors, food service representatives, and large retailers”  Mr. John Masswohl (Director, Governmental and International Relations, Canadian Cattlemen's Association) at the International Trade Committee. On April 30th, 2008.

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