NEWS RELEASES
MINISTER SUSPENDS SUPPLEMENTARY PERMITS FOR IMPORTS OF U.S. BREADED CHEESE STICKS
August 31, 2001 (12:05 p.m. EDT) No. 127
MINISTER SUSPENDS SUPPLEMENTARY PERMITS FOR IMPORTS OF U.S. BREADED
CHEESE STICKS
International Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew today announced that Canada will suspend the normal issuance of
supplementary permits for imports of breaded cheese sticks from the United States, effective September 1,
2001.
In 1999, the U.S. reclassified breaded cheese sticks as a cheese product, making them subject to U.S. tariff-rate quota restrictions and effectively halting Canadian exports. Since then, Canada has pressed the United
States to restore Canada's access to the U.S. market, resuming the long-standing bilateral trade in these
products.
In May 2001, Minister Pettigrew decided that Canada's normal practice of issuing supplementary permits for
imports from the U.S. would be suspended effective September 1, unless our access to the U.S. market was
restored. As it is now clear that Canada's access will not be restored by September 1, today's announcement
fulfills that commitment.
Breaded cheese sticks have historically been traded freely between Canada and the U.S. In 1995, Canada
reclassified the product as a cheese product, which made imports subject to Canada's tariff-rate quota
restrictions on cheese, but Canada continued to allow duty-free U.S. imports through the issuance of
supplementary import permits.
These products contain less than 50 percent cheese and are used primarily as snacks in the food service
sector. Imports from the United States in 2000 were about $10 million. The cheese content of these imports
represented about 0.2 percent of Canadian cheese production. It is estimated that Canadian exports to the U.S.
had reached approximately $3 million prior to the U.S. reclassification decision.
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For further information, media representatives may contact:
Sébastien Théberge
Office of the Minister for International Trade
(613) 992-7332
Media Relations Office
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
(613) 995-1874
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