Ask anyone with familiarity with the western border and they'll tell you that the export of cattle to Guatemala is nothing new. It's a thriving informal trade - which means, its smuggled through the back. But,efforts are being made to normalize this and today, the Ministry of Agriculture reported that a first shipment of live cattle was exported to Guatemala duty free, through the formal Belize-Guatemala Western Border.
It's the product of the partial scope Trade Agreement between the Governments of Belize and Guatemala. And, the ministry says that BAH and its Guatemalan counterpart have worked out all the sanitary specifications the trade of live cattle is now a formal reality - meaning no more need to smuggle it through Calla Creek and other border settlements.
According to the ministry, the push came from the cattle farmers from Spanish Lookout and Banana Bank Agricultural Company was the company that completed the first export. Banana Bank already exports corn and other products to Guatemala.
We note that this is a shot in the arm for the cattle industry since attempts to enter the Mexican market have been thwarted by a succession of technical hurdles and soft barriers to trade.
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