Livestock producers in Saskatchewan are expressing disappointment with a report that China is halting imports of Canadian meat.

A report in a Quebec newspaper says China is upset with veterinary certificates from Canada.

The manager of the Saskatchewan Stock Growers, Chad MacPherson, is disappointed.

He sees the action as political in nature.

“It’s collateral damage from the arrest of the Huawei CFO and it seems like all these actions have been happening since the arrest of the Huawei executive…are all political and trying to…uh…put pressure on the Government of Canada to release the CFO.”

MacPherson says the action will affect the bottom line of producers across Canada.

“There’s very disappointing news to hear that the government of china would be taking to these measures. We feel that we produce some of the safest food in the world and we, uh, have very rigorous health inspection and protocols and follow all the scientific measures that we can to ensure that we produce safe food.”

Canada has exported roughly $63.6 million in beef and veal, and about $310.2 million in pork to China as of April 2019, according to Statistics Canada.

Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau says the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has identified an issue involving inauthentic export certificates and has informed law enforcement agencies. But she too is also defending the quality of the Canadian meat industry, saying the Canadian food system is one of the best in the world. (CKRM)