Canadian soybeans, peas and pork held up at China’s customs

An expanding list of Canadian farm exports are hitting obstacles at Chinese ports, leaving sellers of soybeans, peas and pork scrambling amid a bitter diplomatic dispute, said Reuters.

Traders said Canadian soybeans and peas face unusual obstacles such as delayed inspection times, as Ottawa also warned last week that China was holding up pork shipments over paperwork issues.

Since January, port soybean inspections that routinely take a few days now require three weeks, causing Chinese buyers to avoid Canadian products, said Dwight Gerling, president of Canadian exporter DG Global.

The hits follow China blocking Canadian canola oil from Richardson International and Viterra on the basis of alleged contamination.