Saudi Arabia

In mid-February, Saudi Arabia opened their borders to Canadian beef. The agreement re-opens the market for Canadian boneless beef exports from cattle under-thirty months.

Canada and Saudi Arabia will continue extensive talks aimed at achieving full market access. Once achieved, this could re-establish annual export levels to nearly $6 million and beyond.

Access to Saudi Arabia establishes a noteworthy in-road to the Middle Eastern market - coupled with the recent Jordanian agreement. Developing Middle Eastern markets require a long-term investment. Despite the previous modest size of these markets, projections indicate that their existing demand for high-quality Canadian beef is growing.

Although the Saudi Arabian agreement provides only restricted access to their market, the CCA anticipates that this will eventually match the full access achieved with Jordan.