| | Purpose:
Honourable Oneil Carlier, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry (AF) led a mission to the European Union (EU) member countries of the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany from September 30 to October 9, 2017 to advance trade, investment and advocacy interests for the agriculture and forestry sectors. The mission also enhanced the Government of Alberta’s broader government-relations priorities in the region, by adding forestry to the scope of an existing Letter of Intent (LOI) with the French Ministry of Agriculture.
Overview:
The provisional application of the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) on September 21, 2017 will contribute to the diversification of Alberta’s economy by providing preferential access to a lucrative market of 500 million consumers across 28 EU member states, with almost $17 trillion in annual economic activity. There are ample opportunities to build upon Alberta’s $404 million in agriculture and agrifood exports to the region (2016). The EU is also Canada’s second largest source of foreign direct investment after the United States, with stock totaling $259 billion in 2015.
With the implementation of CETA, 94 per cent of EU agricultural tariff lines have been bound at zero. This includes important Alberta products such as: canola and other oilseeds; canola and other vegetable oils; wheat flour and other milled products; processed fruits and vegetables, including frozen French fries and processed pulses; processed meats; sugar products; baked products and breakfast cereals; honey; and pet food and other animal feed.
Under the agreement, Canada also secured duty-free access of 50,000 tonnes of new quota for Canadian hormone-free beef (35,000 tonnes fresh or chilled and 15,000 tonnes frozen), 81,011 tonnes of new duty-free pork quota access in carcass weight, and 3,000 tonnes of Canadian bison.
The mission gave the Minister the opportunity to profile Alberta’s excellence as an agricultural and agrifood exporter and as a competitive destination for investment through: meetings with potential and existing investors, touring company and trade logistics facilities, participating in investment roundtables, advocating for Alberta’s trade priorities with government officials and meeting Alberta exporters at the biannual ANUGA trade fair in Cologne, Germany – the largest food and beverage show in the world.
Mission Objectives:
- Profile and advocate for Alberta as a preferred supplier of agriculture and agrifood products and as a preferred destination for agrifood investment in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany.
- Increase the awareness among EU investors, of investment opportunities in Alberta’s value-added processing sector.
- Advocate for market access issues in the EU pertaining to Alberta beef, canola and durum wheat.
- Expand and strengthen relations with Alberta’s EU partners.
Results:
The Mission provided Minister Carlier with an opportunity to promote investment in Alberta’s valued-added agriculture industry, to promote exports to the EU and to sign an amended LOI with France adding forestry to the agreement.
Netherlands:
- The Minister met with three companies with existing investments in Alberta and eight potential investors, including five companies that attended a roundtable dinner. The dinner was also attended by the Senior Policy Advisor responsible for North America from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs.
- Minister Carlier was briefed by senior trade officials at the Canadian Embassy in The Hague, discussed global agricultural trends with an agricultural financing bank, and visited trade logistics facilities in Amsterdam and in Rotterdam. Discussions also focused on how Alberta can take advantage of increased quota under CETA for Canadian exports of beef, pork and bison.
- The Minister toured facilities in Amsterdam positioning themselves as preferred carriers of air cargo, particularly for perishable goods entering the EU. The facilities offer advanced, streamlined trade logistics for Alberta exporters of perishable goods that integrate customs clearance, inspection and other shipping procedures. The delegation also toured specialty facilities for importing beef into the EU market.
Belgium:
- Minister Carlier met with Canada’s Ambassadors to Belgium and the EU, respectively. The meetings provided an opportunity for the Minister to advocate for several market access issues which could potentially limit gains made under CETA, namely livestock carcass wash protocols, the approval for genetically-modified products, and measures in some member markets concerning durum wheat.
France:
- The Minister was briefed by senior officials from the Canadian Embassy and met with six French companies interested in exploring agri-investment opportunities in Alberta.
- Minister Carlier met with officials from the French Ministry of Agriculture to sign an amended LOI on cooperation in international education, student and faculty exchanges, and research and innovation in agriculture and food. The LOI, initially signed in November 2014, was amended to add forestry and its related sub-sectors to the agreement.
Germany:
- Minister Carlier’s mission intersected with the ANUGA trade fair, billed as the largest food and beverage show in the world, where six Alberta exporters were promoting their value-added agricultural products to potential buyers.
- The Minister also met with a German company whose Canadian headquarters is in Alberta.
The mission was successful in achieving the following results:
- Building commercial ties and generating agri-trade and investment leads.
- Advocating for Alberta’s market access priorities in the EU.
- Profiling Alberta’s agriculture, food and forestry sectors to EU companies and governments.
- Leveraging and expanding on an existing bilateral agreement with France to include forestry.
Delegation:
- Honourable Oneil Carlier
- Anthony Clark, Chief of Staff to the Minister
- Lisa Sadownik, Assistant Deputy Minister, Food and Value-Added Processing
- Dee Pannu, Director, Investment Attraction Section
Final Itinerary for Minister Carlier
| Date | Event |
| Saturday, September 30 | - Depart Edmonton |
| Sunday, October 1 | - Arrive Amsterdam
- Travel to Groningen, Netherlands |
| Monday, October 2 | - Meet with key stakeholder
- Travel to Utrecht, Netherlands |
| Tuesday, October 3 | - Meet with key stakeholders in Utrecht
- Travel to the Hague, Netherlands
- Attended briefing by Canadian Embassy trade officials in The Hague
- Met with value-added agriculture companies at a roundtable dinner in The Hague |
| Wednesday, October 4 | - Travel to Amsterdam and Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Meet with trade logistics providers
- Travel to Brussels, Belgium |
| Thursday, October 5 | - Met with Canada’s Ambassadors to Belgium and to the EU, in Brussels
- Travel to Paris, France |
| Friday, October 6 | - Attended briefing by trade officials at the Canadian Embassy to France in Paris
- Met with French companies at a roundtable lunch in Paris
- Met with officials from the French Ministry of Agriculture to sign amended Letter of Intent (LOI) |
| Saturday, October 7 | Rest day |
| Sunday, October 8 | - Travel to Dusseldorf, Germany
- Attended ANUGA trade show in Cologne, Germany and met with Alberta exporters
- Dinner with Alberta delegation to ANUGA
- Travel to Dusseldorf |
| Monday, October 9 | - Met with key stakeholder
- Travel to airport in Cologne
- Flight to Edmonton |
| Tuesday, October 10 | - Arrive Edmonton |
Significant Speeches/Presentations:
- October 3: Minister’s remarks at roundtable dinner in The Hague, Netherlands
- October 6: Minister’s remarks at roundtable lunch at Canadian Ambassador’s Residence in Paris
- October 6: Minister’s speech – Letter of Intent with French Ministry of Agriculture
- October 8: Minister’s remarks at Alberta Delegation Dinner in Cologne, Germany
News Releases/Communiques:
- Promoting Alberta agriculture to the world, September 25, 2017
https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=48655489C23AC-A2C8-B4A7-C9576C01FEEC2B38
International Travel Final Expenses
| Expenditures by Participants | Amount |
| Travel (includes airfare, airport service fees, ground transportation costs, including taxis, car rentals, parking, trains, buses as well as mileage to/from airport or taxis to/from airport in Alberta, including any cancellation fees) | $16,581.13 |
| Accommodation (room charges and related taxes, including any cancellation fees) | $9,420.73 |
| Meals (includes restaurant bills and tips, meals on hotel bills, per diem meal claims, share of group meals or working sessions) | $3,975.53 |
| Incidental and Miscellaneous (includes cell phone rental charges, incremental costs for all electronic devices such as roaming charges for cell phones, iPads and costs associated with communications such as the costs incurred for media call-backs, conference/registration fees, including cancellation fees, fax and internet charges, passport and visa fees, medical and inoculation fees, laundry and dry cleaning, baggage handling, out-of-country per diems, and other sundry expenditures) | $774.28 |
Sub-Total | $30,751.67 |
| General Mission Expenditures | Amount |
| Receptions and Hosting (receptions, luncheons, dinners, and events that are hosted by the Government of Alberta that are specific to the mission and include meeting related costs for room rental, room rental for hosted events, food, beverages, catering staff, service charges, entertainment, flowers) | $1,984.93 |
| Incidental and Miscellaneous (includes translation of documents fees, publications, shipping charges, gifts purchased specifically for mission, Canadian Embassy/High Commission/Consulate charges for services provided to the GOA) | $2,342.86 |
Sub-Total | $4,327.79 |
Total Costs | $35,079.46 |
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