China Rejects Canadian Request on Canola Import Rule

(Bloomberg – Feiwen Rong)

China has rejected a Canadian request for a six-month delay in implementing a new rule requiring canola imports be certified free from blackleg disease, the China National Grain & Oils Information Center said.

The new rule is slated to become effective November 15, it said in an e-mailed statement, citing the Canola Council of Canada. Discussions between the two sides are continuing this week, it said. Canada is the world’s largest canola exporter.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has said it will not be able to issue a certificate certifying shipments are free of blackleg, as it is a common plant disease of canola in Canada, the council said in a statement dated November 2. Read more here.