Canada threatens China with WTO over pork ban

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada strongly criticized China on Monday for banning imports of pigs and pork products from the province of Alberta and threatened to take Beijing to the World Trade Organization unless it backed down.

"China is operating outside of sound science ... should they continue on, of course, there is a WTO challenge which we would not hesitate to enact," Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz told Parliament.

China imposed the ban after a person spread the new swine flu to a herd of pigs in the province.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Jeffrey Hodgson)