Trade missions form a valuable marketing strategy says CFA president

Friday, October 18, 2013

by SUSAN MANN

Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz’s recent trade mission to Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom was valuable in helping to develop other markets and lessen Canada’s reliance on trade with the United States, says Canadian Federation of Agriculture president Ron Bonnett.

“It’s an ongoing strategy to try and develop other markets in addition to the United States,” he notes. “We’ve had so much trouble with (American) country of origin labelling” and that has cut sales of Canadian beef and pork to the United States. “We have to look at all kinds of other markets that we can go after.”

Bonnett says these trade missions are important especially when political representatives meet and talk to ensure artificial barriers to trade aren’t installed that hamper Canadians’ ability to do business abroad.

They’re also good for pushing sales of Canadian products, he adds – and alleviating customers’ concerns about food safety matters. “We do know we have a few issues with Europe, such as the use of hormones in beef and the use of genetically modified organisms” in crops.

While he was in Germany, Ritz visited Canadian exhibitors at ANUGA, the largest food and beverage show in the world, a government press release says. Canada had more than 70 exhibitors and companies at the show. In 2011, the Canadian pavilion generated $97 million in actual and anticipated sales, including $8.5 million in on-site sales. BF