The President of the Republic of Paraguay, Mario Abdo Benítez, announced on his social networks that «Canada opens its market to Paraguayan meat, as of September 2023». This date is approximately the time it will take for the homologation of sanitary certificates, which is the only protocol procedure that remains to initiate the export itself.
Approval of health certificates
In a communiqué published by SENACSA, Paraguay’s National Animal Health and Quality Service, it is stated that: «the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has issued a final report on the initial 2022 on-site audit of Paraguay’s beef inspection system and animal health controls...». In this regard, the document adds: «henceforth, a stage of technical information exchange will be carried out to consolidate the recommendations to be published on the ACIA portal, at the end of September this year».
The president of SENACSA, Dr. José Carlos Martin, indicated in interviews to the Paraguayan media that the approval of sanitary certificates takes three to four months, so it is estimated that the official opening of the Canadian market will take place between September and October.
Beef market
The Asociación Rural del Paraguay(ARP) said that this was an important step forward with a view to exporting to other countries such as the United States and Mexico. In this regard, they indicated that negotiations have not yet begun to determine prices and volumes to be shipped.
The most relevant aspect of this approval is the demonstration that Paraguay’s animal health controls meet the quality standards of a market as demanding and rigorous as the Canadian market.
