Canada needs to convince the EU to tackle non-tariff trade barriers.Ottawa—The opportunities the free trade deal with the European Union was to deliver haven't born fruit for the agrifood sector because of numerous national non-tariff barriers in Europe, says the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance (CAFTA).It wants the Joint Committee that oversees the trade deal (CETA) to start tackling the barriers in an upcoming ministerial-level meeting. “After 3 and a half years of provisional implementation, we remain concerned that agrifood sector is unable to tap into the opportunities CETA was supposed to create due to the persistence of non-tariff barriers that continue to block market access.”While the agrifood sector expected to see its exports grow because of the trade agreement, the trade deficit with the EU in farm and food products has widened, CAFTA said. “We need the Canadian government to take action and get results.” The Joint Committee meeting “is the forum to show agri-food exporters that the federal government has their back.“We believe trade can be a powerful force for post-pandemic global economic recovery and CETA presents an opportunity for both Canada and the EU to show the world that deeper trade can create numerous win-win opportunities. That is why we're urging both sides to ratify and fully implement the pact without delay.”CAFTA wants action right away on these barriers because highly-regulated sectors like agrifood, “are already subject to myriad of bureaucratic processes and ever-changing regulations. We are urging Canadian and EU leaders to ensure science and agreed upon rules are the focus when seeking to resolve ongoing issues of importance to the Canada-EU trade relationship.”Commitments were made when the agreement was signed and they need to be respected today. “What made CETA a gold-standard, 21st century pact was that it went beyond tariffs and secured ambitious outcomes on a wide range of non-tariff issues. CETA included commitments to address areas such as technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary issues, regulatory cooperation, and export subsidies.”Both Canada and the EU members “need to demonstrate a willingness to resolve barriers to agri-food trade,” CAFTA said. “Without science at the centre of discussions, existing barriers appear to simply be back door protectionism that runs completely counter to the spirit in which CETA was concluded. For discussions on the recognition of the sustainability practices of canola farmers, Canada's meat approval system and the EU import tolerances for crop protection inputs, science needs to be at the core of decision-making.”A long-standing Canadian complaint involves Italy's Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) which is punishing Canadian durum exports and “runs completely counter to CETA and is even against EU law, yet nothing has been done to resolve this blatant trade violation,” CAFTA said.“We're asking Ministers to stand up for Canadian farmers against this illegal action and urge the EU to not just abide by CETA but also the commitments it has made at the WTO which compel it to base policy on sound science. “Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.