Last week on 26th September, the European Commission finally published the newly negotiated EU -Canada Treaty.

The Comprehensive Trade and Economic Agreement (CETA) text was made public on DG Trade website on the occasion of the EU -Canada Summit that took place in Ottawa.

ICOS has lobbied hard on this agreement to increase opportunities for member dairy co-operatives to have opportunities to trade with the notoriously closed but developed Canadian market.

The agreement eliminates the customs duties for all industrial products and 92% for agricultural and food products.  On the dairy sector, there is a significant increased quota for cheeses which should allow us opportunities to get product in.  The newly penned treaty protects and recognises 55 European Geographical Indicators on the Canadian market.

On the flip side of the agreement there was major concessions on beef export quotas from Canada to the EU which may also put pressure on an already beleaguered beef trade market.

Full consolidated treaty text here: http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/in-focus/ceta/