Canada has ended a trade dispute over South Korea’s ban on Canadian beef imports.

Canada’s Trade Minister Ed Fast said in a statement on Monday that he has instructed officials to drop the challenge at the World Trade Organization, citing that the South had lifted the ban in January.

He added that since the lifting of the ban, more than 30 commercial beef shipments from Canada have cleared South Korean customs.

Canada’s CBC reported that the announcement follows Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's summit talks with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak at the G20 summit in Mexico.

Seoul banned the import of Canadian beef in 2003 following an outbreak of mad cow disease in Canada.