Agriculture minister says first exports of canola seed and beef soon going to China

By Canadian Press on January 20, 2026.

OTTAWA — Federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald says China is moving quickly to import Canadian canola and beef after Ottawa struck a deal with Beijing to reduce tariffs.

MacDonald says a Chinese importer has ordered 60,000 metric tons of canola seed and he’s aware of a Canadian company shipping its first load of beef to China next week.

It’s expected be the first time China has purchased Canadian canola seed and beef since it imposed measures to block such products.

MacDonald announced China was lifting its ban on Canadian beef imports days after Ottawa and Beijing struck the deal to reduce tariffs on Canadian canola and Chinese electric vehicles.

China banned Canadian beef in 2021, after an atypical case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy — known as BSE or mad cow disease — was found on an Alberta farm.

BSE is a fatal brain disease in cattle and atypical strains pose no health risks to humans.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 20, 2026.

The Canadian Press