China blocks Canadian move to set up WTO probe into ‘serious, negative’ canola seed restrictions Andrew Mullenandrew.mullen@scmp.com According to the Canola Council of Canada, exports from other Canadian firms are down between 50 and 70 per cent compared with levels seen before both the ban and the enhanced inspections were put into place. Photo: Reuters China as expected blocked Canada's first request to establish a World Trade Organization (WTO) panel to investigate Beijing's restrictions placed on imports of Canadian canola seeds. China suspended imports of canola seeds from Richardson International and Viterra in March 2019, while also making shipments from other Canadian firms subject to enhanced inspections, claiming that pests were detected.