Chapter 11 - Export

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11.7.3 Japan

11.7.3.1 General information

1. Organs such as hearts, livers and kidneys may be exported.
2. Hog stomachs may be exported, scalded or unscalded.
3. Small and large swine intestines may be exported as an edible meat product to Japan. They must be thoroughly washed, preferably with chilled running water; scalding is not mandatory.
4. Achilles tendons and ligamenta nuchae may be prepared as edible products for export to Japan.
5. Non gravid uteri from gilts may be prepared for export to Japan (See 11.7.2.2 (e)).
6. Japan has made an exemption for imports of non-ruminant meat products by tourists, when the meat is intended for their personal consumption, in that the normal certification is not required if the following requirements are met in full:
   1. The product must enter Japan as it was packaged at the time of preparation in a federally inspected establishment;
   2. The package must be labelled to include the name of the product, the name and address of the packer or distributor, the statement of the quantity of contents and the official Inspection Legend including the official establishment number;

   3. The label must bear the following statement immediately below the product name:

      "The meat contained herein is for personal use only and not for sale. It is derived from animals that received antemortem and postmortem inspection and were found sound and healthy and has been inspected and passed as provided by the Canadian Meat Inspection Act and Regulations."

      For your information, the following is an example of the label:

      Click on image for larger view
      
      Information label

   4. The required labelling must be applied to the carton by a printed adhesive label that will tear if removed, and must be so placed on the carton that the label would be destroyed if the package is opened between the time of packaging at the producing establishment and the time of inspection at the Japanese port of entry;
   5. Unless otherwise informed by the Japanese authorities the maximum weight permitted for such a tourist package for personal consumption would be 22.5 kg; and
   6. It is not necessary for the exporter to accompany the goods.
7. Mandatory labelling requirements of prepackaged meat products. The importer is responsible by law to meet the Japanese applicable requirements. Labelling according to these requirements could be done either in Canada or in Japan at the discretion of the importer.
8. The information in section 11.7.3.2 (f) is included for information purposes only. The exporters/importers are responsible to ensure that applicable Japanese requirements are met when exporting prepared meat products.

11.7.3.2 Import prohibitions or restrictions

(a) Requirements applicable to imported products:

1. Meat products (pork and poultry only) imported from the United States may be used in the manufacture of meat products destined for Japan;
2. Imported meat products are not allowed to be used as an ingredient in meat products destined for Japan unless the Official Meat Inspection Certificate, issued by the USDA provides the following information/declaration as applicable:
   • "The meat and/or meat products described herein were processed under sanitary conditions in accordance with laws and regulations of the USDA. The laws and regulations of the USDA have been deemed to be equivalent to the inspection laws of Japan";
   • Name, address and establishment number of the slaughterhouse and processing plant and the date of slaughter and processing as applicable. A range of days is acceptable;
   • In the case of pork (from the United States), "The United States is free of hog cholera; vaccination against hog cholera is prohibited; and importation of pigs vaccinated against hog cholera is prohibited";
   • In the case of poultry meat (from the United States), "There has been no outbreak of fowl pest (fowl plague) for at least ninety (90) days in the United States. Further, in the area where birds for export meat were produced (such an area being within a minimum radius of 50 kilometres from the production farm) Newcastle disease, Fowl cholera, or other such serious infectious fowl diseases as recognized by the government of the United States have not occurred for at least ninety (90) days".

Note: The import requirements described in this sub-section are not Canadian import requirements. They are outlined only to provide guidance to interested parties when imported products are included in products destined for Japan. It is the responsibility of the exporter/importer to ensure that the applicable import declaration/information is made available to the CFIA.

(b) Eligibility of establishments

(b) 1. Basic Requirements

All establishments (other than casing handling facilities to which additional restrictions outlined below in paragraph (b) (2) apply and beef establishments which are subject to the additional requirements outlined in paragraph (b) (3), below) under federal inspection are considered as being eligible to export meat products to Japan with the exception of establishments that receive raw meat products, including animal casings, from countries not eligible to export such products to Japan due to animal health restrictions.

Canadian registered slaughtering or processing establishments that receive or otherwise handle raw beef from Uruguay become non eligible to export meat products derived from cloven-hoofed animals to Japan.

*Refer to Annex D for the list of establishments not eligible to export meat products derived from cloven-hoofed animals to Japan*

Meat products derived from cloven-hoofed animals from those establishments must not be present in establishments that wish to keep their privileges to export meat products derived from cloven-hoofed animals to Japan.

Raw beef from Uruguay may be received and stored in storage facilities provided they are stored separately from products derived from cloven-hoofed animals destined for export. The separation would include: separate stacking of the packaged products not in contact with eligible packaged products; and clear identification of the non eligible product with respect to its origin and export restrictions. The CFIA Inspector in Charge (IIC) of the cold store will monitor the operator's control procedures to verify that the storage of non eligible meat products is being done in the prescribed manner.

Inventory records must be maintained by all operators regarding the origin of the beef present in the establishment and the destination of the meat products derived from beef shipped from the establishment. These records should be made available to the IIC upon request.

Note: The list of countries eligible to export certain meat products to Canada but not to Japan is subject to change. A country currently eligible to export meat products derived from cloven-hoofed animals to Japan may become non eligible without prior notice. Operators of registered slaughter or processing establishments eligible to export meat derived from cloven-hoofed animals or supplying establishments eligible to export such products to Japan should keep this point in mind when making the decision to receive imported meat products derived from cloven-hoofed animals in their facility.

(b) 2. Additional requirements applicable to establishments preparing meat products in casings destined to Japan

For approval purposes, the Japanese Animal Health Authorities require to be notified of the name, address and registration number of Canadian establishments handling natural casings derived from bovines, sheep and goats and that are exporting products in casings to Japan (e.g., sausage manufacturing establishments).

In order to obtain approval, controls on the origin of natural casings derived from bovines, sheep and goats must be implemented to satisfy the Japanese requirements. Natural casings derived from bovines, sheep and goats handled at an approved facility must only originate from a country that has not reported any indigenous case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). All European Union countries are excluded as country of origin for such casings. Australia and New Zealand are approved to export such casings to Canada and to Japan. Import certificates should be kept on file to demonstrate the origin of the natural casings derived for bovines, sheep or goats use at the establishment. In the case of such casings supplied by another Canadian establishment, the latter must appear on the list of casing handling establishments approved by Japan.

Inventory records must be maintained by operators regarding the origin of the natural casings derived from bovines, sheep and goats present in the establishment. These records should be made available to the IIC upon request.

Requests for approval should be submitted using Annex I, Chapter 11 (Introduction).

*Refer to Annex 1 for the list of approved establishments*

(b) 3. Additional requirements applicable to beef establishments

1. Establishments must be operating in compliance with Canadian requirements and additional Japanese requirements outlined in Annex F of this section.
2. Establishments must be slaughter establishments. However, where the slaughter establishment does not have cutting/boning facilities on site, stand-alone cutting/boning establishments that belong to the same company can also be considered acceptable for approval.
3. The following approval procedures will be followed to confirm compliance with applicable requirements before an establishment can be designated by the CFIA as eligible to export to Japan.
   • The operator must apply for approval by completing part 1 of Annex G. With the application for approval presented to the Veterinarian in Charge (VIC) or IIC, the operator must provide relevant written procedures to demonstrate compliance with requirements prescribed in Annex F. The procedures must include monitoring, verification, record-keeping activities and deviation procedures which must be auditable and effective.
   • The VIC or IIC evaluates the written procedures submitted, assesses if they are complete, in compliance with applicable requirements and are effective and verifiable. When found acceptable, the IIC completes part two (2) of the application form and contacts the Regional Veterinary Officer (RVO) to inform him/her accordingly so he/she can conduct his/her own evaluation of the compliance status of the establishment.
   • A RVO¹ will perform an inspection of the establishment in operation to evaluate its compliance with Japanese requirements. The responsible Regional Director (RD) must be present during the on-site visit to carry-out the outreach part of the visit. The Export Audit Check List (Japan Beef shown in Annex H) will be completed by the RVO when performing the evaluation. At the time of that on-site inspection, a mock-up operation would be considered satisfactory for evaluation purposes, since the products will not be considered eligible to export to Japan at this stage. The RVO will inform the operator of his/her findings.
   • When the RVO is satisfied that the facilities, operations and CFIA inspection, including verification activities, comply with the requirements, section three (3) of the application will be completed and the form along with Annex H will be forwarded to the Area Office-Program Network Export Specialist.
   • The Area Office AO-Program Network Export Specialist will review the documents submitted and when found satisfactory, arrangements will be made with an external auditor for conducting an on-site audit to verify that the written procedures and their implementation are in compliance with applicable Japanese requirements including the CFIA verification activities, the designation and export procedures. The information on the scheduling of the audit will be forwarded to the RVO. The RVO will inform the VIC/IIC accordingly who will in turn inform the operator. The external audit should be performed with the RVO who conducted the evaluation described at the previous point and while the establishment is operating as per all applicable Japanese requirements. When satisfied that all applicable requirements are met, the external auditor will complete part 4 of the application and will give a copy to the RVO. The RVO will forward it to the Director of the Meat Programs Division (MPD) through the AO-Program Network Export Specialist.
   • The External Auditor² will provide a report of his/her findings and conclusions to the Director of the MPD. The Director of the MPD will request a meeting of the Review Committee for Designation to review the application information (Annex G and Annex H) and the report of the external auditor. When the Committee is satisfied that the applicable designation procedures were followed, the Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) will complete part five (5) of the application on behalf of the Committee. The Director of MPD will then notify the Japanese authorities of the designation of the establishment as being eligible to export beef products to Japan effective as of the date of confirmation of compliance by the external auditor (as indicated in part four (4) of Annex G). No export certification will be provided until the Director of the MPD has officially informed the Japanese authorities of the designation of the establishment.
   • The Director of the MPD will maintain a list of designated establishments and inform all concerned whenever the list is amended.

*Refer to Annex 1 for the list of approved establishments*

Note: Japanese officials can be expected to conduct on-site inspections of establishments that have been designated by the CFIA to verify compliance with applicable requirements.

(b) 4. Additional requirements applicable to establishments exporting natural casings to Japan

For approval purposes, the Japanese Animal Health Authorities require to be notified of the name, address and registration number of Canadian establishments interested in exporting natural casings derived from pigs or ruminants to Japan.

Conditions for approval are as follows:

• Implementation of controls on the origin of natural casings handled in the establishment in accordance with the Japanese requirements. In the case of imported natural casings, this includes obtaining additional certification from the authorities of the exporting country that specifies the country from which the casings are derived were born and raised, and that the casings are eligible for export to Japan. For example, the certification could state "The casings are derived from animals which have been born and raised in (name of the country) and are eligible for export to Japan."
• Natural casings derived from bovines, sheep and goats handled at the establishment must not originate from the following countries (excluded by Japan as countries of origin of natural ruminant casings): Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
• Import certificates should be kept on file to demonstrate the origin of the natural casings derived for bovine, sheep or goats handled at the establishment.
• In the case of such casings supplied by another Canadian establishment, the latter must appear on the list of establishments approved by Japan appearing in this section.
• Inventory records must be maintained by operators regarding the origin of the natural casings present in the establishment. These records should be made available to the IIC upon request.

Requests for approval should be submitted using Annex I, Chapter 11 (Introduction).

As of July 5, 2010, no establishments are listed in Annex 1.

(c) Requirements applicable to beef products

1. Beef products must be derived from animals born and raised in Canada or born in the United States and imported for feeding/fattening and slaughter in Canada. Beef products derived from animals imported for immediate slaughter are not eligible for export to Japan at this time.
2. Only chilled or frozen beef products derived from animals aged 20 months or less are eligible for export to Japan.
3. The following tissues/products are not eligible for export to Japan:
   • the head, excluding tongue and cheek meat;
   • the palatine and lingual tonsils;
   • the spinal cord and dura mater;
   • the distal ileum;
   • the vertebral column, including the dorsal root ganglia, but excluding the vertebrae of the tail, the transverse processes of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, and the wings of the sacrum;
   • processed beef products;
   • ground beef; and
   • finely textured beef and mechanically separated meat (MSM).

(d) Japan does not allow the use of sodium metasilicate, sodium persulfate or calcium oxide as ingredients in stomach and beef tripe scalding compounds. Sodium gluconate may be used.

(e) Uteri which show enlargement or hyperemia from physiological or pathological processes on visual inspection or palpation shall be rejected. Uteri found satisfactory for export shall be drained, chilled, packed and frozen. Freezing without prior chilling is not acceptable.

(f) It is permitted to export cured non-ruminant meat products (curing may be followed by smoking and/or drying) to Japan providing the following criteria are met:

1. Raw meat
   • only pork or beef excluding viscera may be used;
   • the raw meat must be handled in a sanitary manner to minimize bacterial loads;
   • the pH of the raw meat must be below 6.0; and
   • during preparation, following initial carcass chilling, the temperature of the raw meat shall not exceed 10°C.
2. Curing methods and procedures
   • dry curing - 6% or more of salt (NaCl) and 200 ppm of sodium nitrite (NaNO₂) shall be added, by weight ratio, to the raw meat;
   • pickle curing - (by immersion or by pumping). The pickle must contain 15% or more NaCl and 200 or more ppm NaNO₂. (In the case of immersion pickling, the raw meat must be completely covered);
   • any combination of the above methods is permitted (see also finished product);
   • during curing the meat shall be kept at a temperature of 5°C or less;
   • the meat shall be cured to rapidly achieve a water activity (A_w) below 0.96;
   • desalting - if necessary, cured meat may be desalted in continuously changing potable water, the temperature of which is not to exceed 5°C.
3. Smoking and/or drying

   Cured meat is to be smoked and/or dried at a temperature below 20°C or above 50°C. The cured meat shall be finally smoked and/or dried at an A_w below 0.94.

4. Finished product

   Cured meat products must be free of coliforms and have an A_w of 0.96 or less and be maintained at a temperature of 5°C or less.

   Smoked or dried, cured meat products must be free of coliforms and have an A_w below 0.94 and be maintained at a temperature of 10°C or less.

   Fully dried, cured meat products not requiring refrigerated storage must be free of coliforms and have an A_w of 0.86 or less. The level of residual NO₂ must not exceed 70 ppm.

5. Preservatives in processed meat products

   In addition to nitrites, the use of erythorbic acid and sodium erythorbate is permitted. Japan permits the use of sorbic acid and potassium sorbate up to 2,000 ppm.

   Note: The sale of a preserved meat product containing sorbic acid or potassium sorbate or both is prohibited in Canada.

6. Processed meat products

   It is the manufacturer/exporter's responsibility to ensure that recipes and labels of processed meat products meet the Japanese applicable requirements. All processing aids/flavours and/or food additives and/or food preservatives must be authorized by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) and applicable requirements of the Food Sanitation Law for inclusion in processed meat products.

(g) Export of irradiated meat to Japan is not permitted.

(h) Importation of meat products derived from ruminants other than cattle (e.g.: cervidae, bison) from Canada is prohibited.

(i) The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare prohibits the use of natural casings derived from bovine (even when originating from a BSE free country) and of collagen casings derived from bovine material in the preparation of sausages destined for Japanese market. Those restrictions are in addition to the animal health restrictions applicable to casings outlined in 11.7.3.2 (b) 1 and 2 above.

11.7.3.3 Specific or additional inspection procedures

The operator is responsible for maintaining records on non-ruminant animals imported for slaughter at the establishment. The records shall be kept for at least two years.

When imported meat products are handled in the establishment where meat products are destined to Japan, the operator is responsible to develop and implement procedures to ensure that the Japanese requirements are met. The procedures must be monitored on an ongoing basis.

The operator is responsible for maintaining inventory/production records (country, species, quantity, date of entry/processing/shipping) of imported products brought to the establishments and for keeping these records for a period of two years. Production records for products of Canadian origin must be kept for two years as well.

The procedures developed by the operator must be reviewed and accepted by the VIC/IIC. Periodic verifications of compliance with specific Japanese requirements must be conducted by the VIC/IIC. When the exporting establishment fails to meet the applicable requirements, corrective action needs to be taken or steps should be taken to remove the establishment from the list of establishments eligible to export to Japan. (Additional requirements for beef products are outlined in Annex F.)

In the case of production of beef, specific additional inspection procedures apply:

• designation of establishments (see section 11.7.3.2.(b)(3));
• supervision of establishments (see section 2.2 of Annex F);
• supervision of the production of the beef destined to Japan (see section 2.1 of Annex F);
• supervision over the movement of eligible beef between establishments (see section 1 (c) and 2.1 of Annex F); and
• export verification procedures (see section 1 (b) and 2.1 of Annex F).

11.7.3.4 Additional certification

1. In addition to form CFIA/ACIA 1454, a Sanitary Health Certificate (Red Meat) - CFIA/ACIA 1482 (Annex A) shall be issued for each shipment of red meat. The original copy of this certificate shall accompany the original copy of form CFIA/ACIA 1454.

   Further, in the case of pork, the following declaration must appear in the space for additional certification of CFIA/ACIA 1454: "Canada is free from hog cholera, vaccination against hog cholera is prohibited in Canada and the importation of live swine and fresh pork from a hog cholera-infected country and from countries vaccinating against hog cholera is prohibited in Canada."

2. In addition to Form CFIA/ACIA 1454, a Sanitary Health Certificate (Poultry) CFIA/ACIA 4367 (Annex B) and Annex K shall be issued for each shipment of poultry meat. The original annexes shall accompany the original CFIA/ACIA 1454.

   Note: In case of outbreak of low pathogenic avian influenza, Annex K-1 shall be issued in addition to the above documents.

3. For meat products containing red and poultry meat the Form CFIA/ACIA 1454 and a Sanitary Health Certificate (Red Meat) shall be issued for each shipment. The applicable animal health declarations (e.g. declaration in point (a) in the case of pork and declaration in point (b) in the case of poultry meat) should be included. Form CFIA/ACIA 1454 shall also have the following endorsement in the box Additional Certification:

   "The meat described herein was derived from poultry which have been examined and found by ante-mortem and post-mortem veterinary inspection to be free from diseases designated by laws of Japan and suitable in every way for human consumption in Canada. The meat was handled in a sanitary manner only in accordance with Canadian laws and regulations".

   In cases where insufficient space is available, the additional attestations should be provided on separate CFIA letterhead (with a reference to the number of the corresponding certificate CFIA/ACIA 1454).

4. Meat products from game animals are subject to the same certification procedures as outlined under (a), (b) and (c) as applicable.
5. In the case of beef products, Annex C must be issued.
6. In the case of meat products exported in casings to Japan, Annex E must be issued in addition to applicable certificates mentioned above.
7. In the case of natural ruminant casings, Annex E-1 must be issued.
8. In the case of natural pig casings, Annex E-2 must be issued.
9. In the case of rabbit meat, Annex J of Chapter 11 (Introduction) must be issued. It is the responsibility of the slaughterhouse operator to ensure that supporting documentation is obtained from the supplier of the rabbits to permit endorsement of the statement "derived from rabbits which were born and raised in Canada". These supporting documents (e.g. a producer/breeder's affidavit or a flock sheet) are to be kept on file at the slaughterhouse and must be made available to the inspector before an export is authorized.

Notes:

• Please note that the information to be entered in the box "Date of Inspection" is the date of final inspection of export consignment prior to shipping.
• When imported meat is used in the production of meat products destined to Japan, a copy of the official meat inspection certificate covering imported products (as described in section 11.7.3.2 and 11.7.3.3) must be attached to the export certificate presented for signature. In addition, in the box "Number, Name and Address of the Slaughter Plant" of forms CFIA/ACIA 1482 or 4367 as applicable, the following sentence should be included: "Meat imported from (Name of the country) under certificate no.: (indicate certificate number) attached." In the case that the space in the box "Number, Name and Address of the Slaughter Plant" is not sufficient to take all the required information, it should be provided on a separate CFIA letterhead paper bearing the words "addendum to certificate no." (indicate certificate number). This addendum must be signed by the veterinarian who signed the export certificates. Copies of all documents must be kept on file by the inspector who delivered the certificate.
• The name and location address of the establishments indicated on all official CFIA forms must exactly reflect the list of federally registered meat establishments and their licensed operators.

11.7.3.5 Special marking and packaging requirements

All containers of pig pancreas glands for export to Japan must have the foreign export stamp marked on the outside panel. It will not be sufficient to mark them with the statement "For Medicinal (or Pharmaceutical) Purposes".

11.7.3.6 Other requirements

Exported meat transported through third countries shall be put in a container sealed with an official CFIA seal.

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Footnotes:

¹ The RVO can be replaced by a Program Network Specialist to perform this evaluation.

² The External Auditor is engaged and authorized to perform this work under the terms of a contract arranged by the Meat Programs Division. External Auditors are selected on the basis of their knowledge of the CFIA meat inspection program, experience in meat inspection and in the auditing of slaughter and processing establishments and meat inspection programs.

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See a CFIA inspector to obtain certificates.

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