On April 17, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
announced it reached a temporary agreement with the U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA) around the import and export of animal
products between Canada and the United States.1
Pursuant to the agreement, the CFIA and USDA have granted a
six-month extension to allow approved facilities to continue to
export certain animal products, by-products and pet foods (Animal
Products) without the required annual inspections. Specifically,
pending annual inspections for no-change renewals are postponed
until the agreement expires on September 30, 2020. However, new
facilities, new permits, and amendments to permits will continue to
require new or revised inspections.
Exporting to the United States
For Canadian Animal Products facilities that require a CFIA
Facility Inspection Checklist (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
[BSE] Questionnaire) in order to export to the United States, those
checklists will be valid for up to six months after being signed by
a CFIA veterinary inspector.
Export certificates for Animal Products will continue to be
endorsed by the CFIA for up to six months past the inspection
validity expiration date.
However, facilities producing thermally processed pet food
requiring Veterinary Services Special Authorization Letters in
order to export to the United States must directly request an
extension by emailing their current authorization to NCIE.Inspection.Docs@usda.gov.
Importing from the United States
For Animal Products facilities in the United States that require
a USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service facility
inspection prior to the issuance of a CFIA import permit, a
six-month extension has been granted on the date the permit is
valid without re-inspection.
Export certificates will be endorsed by the USDA for up to six
months past the inspection validity expiration date.
Impacts
This agreement is in effect immediately and will continue until September 30, 2020. It serves two important functions for the CFIA and the Canadian food supply more generally:
- it is consistent with the CFIA's business continuity plan of temporarily suspending low-risk activities that do not immediately affect the production of safe food for Canadians so that it may prioritize those activities critical to the integrity of Canada's food safety system;2 and
- it is expected to maintain the bilateral trade flow of Animal Products during the pandemic without undue delay.
Footnotes
1 CFIA Bulletin, "Six-month extension for approved facilities to continue to export animal products" dated April 17, 2020, at https://www.inspection.gc.ca/covid-19/cfia-information-for-industry/extension-for-approved-facilities-to-continue-to-e/eng/1587150643753/1587150740513
2 See CFIA Bulletin "The CFIA is prioritizing critical activities during COVID-19 pandemic" dated March 23, 2020, at https://www.inspection.gc.ca/covid-19/cfia-information-for-industry/critical-activities-during-covid-19-pandemic/eng/1587076768319/1587076768647
Originally published 21 April 2020
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