The general manager of the BC Cattlemen’s Association says China lifting a boycott on Canadian beef exports is great news.

Kevin Boon says the boycott was short-lived at five months, and he says compared to the rest of Canada it had no direct impact on B.C. ranchers.

“We wouldn’t feel a direct impact at this point in time. We were going through the type of season that we were going to being the summer barbecue season. We consume a lot of our own product at home here during that time. During the off-season when we don’t consume maybe as much product as we do in the summer, we would feel it more. Really at the end of the day, it’s a total Canadian deal so to say B.C. would feel it or not in comparison to the rest of the country, we wouldn’t,” he says.

“Our indication is that they were starting to reissue export certificates for Canadian meat this morning… By the sounds of it, our government satisfied their inquiries and an investigation has resulted in them doing it. As of right now, people can qualify so that’s all good news.”

Boon says about 2.6 per cent of Canadian beef exports went to China in 2018.

The Canadian Meat Council says the boycott on beef and pork exports cost Canadian farmers almost $100 million between June and September of this year.