Dominican Republic Lifts Ban on Canadian Beef Exports
The Dominican Republic has lifted a ban on Canadian beef exports that was implemented in 2003 due to concerns over bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). The ban was lifted following an audit by the Dominican Republic’s General Directorate of Medicines, Food and Health Products, and the General Directorate of Livestock, which confirmed the effectiveness of Canada’s current beef inspection system.
According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), the decision to restore access to this important market was announced on September 11 and took effect on September 3. The JBS beef plant in Brooks, Alberta, and the Cargill beef plant in High River, Alberta, are now approved to export various beef products, including chilled and frozen bone-in and boneless beef. The True North Foods beef slaughter plant in Carman, Manitoba, received similar approval earlier, effective August 19.
This change marks a significant milestone, as it allows Canadian beef to once again enter a market that had been closed off since Canada reported its first domestic case of BSE.
“This decision restores access to an important Caribbean market for the first time since 2003,” said the CFIA in a statement.
Minister of Agriculture Heath MacDonald remarked on the growing demand for Canadian beef in the Dominican Republic, noting its population of approximately 11.6 million. In 2025, the Dominican Republic imported around $215 million in beef and beef products from various countries, with the majority sourced from the United States, which has a free trade agreement with the Dominican Republic since 2007.
Canada previously engaged in free trade discussions with the Dominican Republic, but those talks stalled in late 2009. Most other countries that had initially restricted imports from Canada due to BSE have resumed trade following Canada’s progress in BSE surveillance and eradication efforts, which led to it achieving “controlled risk” status in 2007 and “negligible risk” status in May 2021.
The lifting of the ban brings Canadian beef on par with major beef-producing countries like the United States, Australia, Argentina, and Brazil, all of which share similar risk designs regarding BSE.
Moving forward, increased efforts will be needed to solidify and expand Canadian beef’s presence in the market.
