The Canadian Government has published details of market access for European cheese exporters, after weeks of disagreement over how the duty-free quota should be managed. Canadian importers can now apply for permits covering just over 1,000t of European cheese for the last quarter of this year, after the new Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with the EU provisionally enters into force on 21 September.

Such tariff-rate quotas will gradually rise to 17,700t/year from 2022. Half of the quota will be managed by Canadian cheese manufacturers and the other half by distributors and retailers. The European Dairy Association had criticised previous proposals to allocate 60% of the quota to manufacturers, effectively letting them choose their competitors.

Until 2021, 30% of the quota will be reserved for new entrants – a clause seen as positive for Irish cheese exporters, which do not have established distribution networks in Canada.

On Monday, the French Constitutional Court cleared CETA of a legal challenge brought by opposition politicians, removing one of the major risks to the treaty’s provisional application.

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