Canola exports to China are going to remain unchanged in terms of maximum dockage.

A deal was reached Thursday in Ottawa that will keep the limit at 2.5 per cent.

China was threatening to lower the dockage level to one per cent, noting that high dockage may increase the risk of spreading disease such as blackleg.

Both countries have agreed to research the issue until the year 2020.

Patti Miller, president of the Canola Council of Canada, hopes the issue will be resolved well before that time.

"This is important, not just for China, but for us," she said. "We need to see the disease levels lowered. I think we've got a pretty good sense of what needs to be done over the next few years. So I'm hoping that by the time early 2020 comes along we will have this one well behind us."

Canada, which is the world's largest canola exporter, sends about 40 per cent, or about $2 billion worth of canola to China every year.