Canada lifts suspension on imports from biggest US pork plant, USDA records show

Canada has lifted a suspension on imports from the biggest U.S. pork-processing plant, a Smithfield Foods facility in Tar Heel, North Carolina, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture records.

Canada blocked imports from the facility last week over issues with offal shipments, the company said, limiting a market for U.S. pork products.

The halt hit as Washington and Ottawa have sparred in a dispute over trade levies.

Smithfield CEO Shane Smith said this week that the plant's suspension was not related to tariffs and that the company was working to resolve the matter.

The suspension lasted from March 6 to March 12, and pork items produced by the plant after March 12 are now eligible for export to Canada again, according to a USDA website.

Smithfield could not immediately be reached for comment.