Ottawa prepared to give up dairy tariffs for Europe access

The Canadian government is prepared to knock holes in the hefty tariff walls shielding dairy producers from foreign competition and admit more European cheese into this country in return for greater access to EU markets for Canada’s beef and pork.

These are among the proposals on the table as International Trade Minister Ed Fast meets with his European Union counterpart, Karel De Gucht, in Ottawa on Wednesday and Thursday to try to settle differences in free-trade talks with the EU that have gone into overtime.