Canadian Cattle Association Statement on Canada and Indonesia Signing Final CEPA Text
October 1, 2025
The Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) welcomes the signing of the Indonesia-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) by Prime Minister Mark Carney and President Prabowo Subianto as a positive step towards further trade diversification in the Indo-Pacific Region.
During negotiations and leading up to the announcement, CCA worked closely with the Ministers of Trade and Agriculture and Canadian officials to receive the best meaningful market access outcome for beef, including the immediate phase-out of tariffs for many beef products.
CCA was present for the announcement of CEPA during the Team Canada Trade Mission to Indonesia last fall and when Canada’s Minister of International Trade signed an associated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Canada and Indonesia to establish a bilateral dialogue on sanitary and phytosanitary issues to address market access issues of interest to both Parties, including in the trade of Canadian beef.
“We appreciate the efforts of Canadian negotiators who worked tirelessly to secure comprehensive tariff-free access for Canadian beef and to address challenges for the Canadian beef sector. Full market access includes addressing non-tariff barriers so that Canadian beef producers can have meaningful access,” says Tyler Fulton, President of CCA. “We commend our Ministers of Trade and Agriculture, our Indonesia Mission, the Indo-Pacific Agriculture office, and officials in Ottawa for working hard to address these issues.”
In addition, Canadian beef still has an outstanding technical issue. In order to fully capitalize and realize the benefits of CEPA for Canadian beef, Indonesia’s requirement that cattle intended for beef export complete a four-month residency in Canada prior to export must be removed. This is recognized as a priority item for cooperation to facilitate trade in the MOU that was established along with CEPA. The integration of the North American cattle market makes it near impossible to achieve this residency requirement. As CEPA will go through its Parliamentary process to become ratified, we continue to work with the Canadian government to address this technical barrier.
The global demand for beef is increasing and there is growing momentum for Canadian beef in the Indo-Pacific region. Indonesia is forecast to become the world’s fourth-largest economy by 2050. With a growing population and growing consumer demand, there is significant opportunity to gain market share. “During the recent trade missions to Indonesia, CCA heard directly from retailers and importers that their customers are looking for high-quality beef, exactly what Canada has to offer,” says Tyler Fulton.