Subject

Establishments involved with the exportation of forage products composed of or containing heat treated/dehydrated chopped or shredded Hessian fly host material produced in Canada are subject to procedures which ensure compliance with the import requirements of Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF). To facilitate the export of such products from Canada to Japan, a compliance agreement between the exporting facility and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is required. This agreement is designed to verify that forage products exported from Canada to Japan are treated, stored, handled, transported and labelled according to the requirements of MAFF.

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Table of Contents

Review
Endorsement
Amendment Record
Distribution
Introduction
Scope
References
Definitions, Abbreviations and Acronyms

1.0 General Requirements
1.1 Legislative Authority
1.2 Fees
1.3 Regulated Pests
1.4 Regulated Areas
1.5 Regulated Commodities

2.0 Specific Requirements
2.1 Forages eligible for certification under this program
2.2 Plant Quarantine Import Requirements
2.3 Heat Treatment/Dehydration Procedure
2.4 Facility Inspection and Certification
2.5 Storage, Handling, Packaging and Transportation
2.6 Sealing and Labeling of Shipping Containers
2.7 Administrative Requirements
2.8 Phytosanitary Certification
2.9 Non compliance

3.0 Appendices
Appendix 1: Application for "Pilot Certification Program for Heat-Treated/Dehydrated Shredded or Chopped Forage Products of or Containing Hessian Fly Host Material Produced in Canada for Export to Japan"
Appendix 2: Compliance Agreement for "Pilot Certification Program for Heat-Treated/Dehydrated Shredded or Chopped Forage Products of or Containing Hessian Fly Host Material Produced in Canada for Export to Japan"
Appendix 3: Sample container label

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Review

This directive will be reviewed every 2 years unless otherwise needed. The next review date for this directive is Apri 7, 2010. The contact for this directive is Joanne Rousson. For further information or clarification, please contact the Grains and Field Crops Section.

Endorsement

Approved by:

_____________________
Director
Plant Health Division

Amendment Record

Amendments to this directive will be dated and distributed as outlined in the distribution below.

Distribution

1. Directive mail list
2. Provincial Governments
3. Industry (via Regions)
4. National Industry Organizations (determined by the National Manager, Grains and Field Crops Section)
5. Internet

Introduction

The production of forage products (e.g. hay, straw) for export to foreign markets, such as Japan, is an important industry in Canada and is expected to grow as new markets are developed. Hessian fly (Mayetiola destructor (Say)) is a quarantine pest in Japan. Host material for Hessian fly, including wheat, barley, rye, triticale and wheatgrasses (such as quackgrass), that could potentially harbour the insect, is also prohibited from entering Japan. However, a heat/dehydration treatment has recently been approved by Japan for Canadian forage products that are or contain Hessian fly host material. The CFIA has developed this pilot phytosanitary certification program to comply with the conditions established by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) of Japan for heat-treated/dehydrated chopped forage products that are or contain Hessian fly host material. The objective of this pilot program is to export forage products which meet the plant quarantine import requirements of Japan for freedom from Hessian fly.

This certification program is mandatory for processors, shippers and exporters of forage products that are or contain Hessian fly host material for export to Japan. It is expected that, in co-operation with the Canadian forage industry, the requirements of this program will be integrated into the existing Canadian Hay Certification Program (CHCP). At such time, this pilot program will be terminated.

Scope

The information in this directive is intended for facilities and companies that export forage products to Japan as well as inspectors and program officers of the CFIA.

References

Announcement of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries No. 764 provided for in Schedule 2 of the Enforcement Regulations of Plant Protection Law (1950, Ordinance of Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry No. 73 (Japan: June 7, 2007).

D-03-14 (original): Canadian Hay Certification Program to certify hay for export.

International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM) No. 5: Glossary of phytosanitary terms; International Plant Protection Convention, FAO, Rome, 2007.

Definitions, Abbreviations and Acronyms

1.0 General Requirements

1.1 Legislative Authority

The Plant Protection Act, S.C. 1990, c. 22
The Plant Protection Regulations, SOR/95-212
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Fees Notice, Canada Gazette, Part 1 (05/13/2000)

1.2 Fees

The CFIA is charging fees in accordance with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency Fees Notice. Anyone requiring further information regarding fees may contact any local CFIA Office or visit the Canadian Food Inspection Agency Fees Notice website.

1.3 Regulated pests

Hessian fly (Mayetiola destructor (Say)).

1.4 Regulated Areas

Canada (all areas).

1.5 Regulated commodities

Shredded/chopped forage of Hessian fly host material or forage containing Hessian fly host material produced in Canada. This includes wheat, barley, rye, triticale and wheatgrasses such as quackgrass.

2.0 Specific Requirements

In order for a facility to be approved under this pilot program, the facility must apply for approval to the CFIA and have a quality management system in place to ensure that only forage products eligible for export are presented for phytosanitary certification.

As the national plant protection organization of Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will be responsible for certifying heat-drying facilities and for developing and maintaining a list of approved facilities. On an annual basis, the list will be submitted to the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) of Japan. A confirmatory inspection of the facility by a MAFF inspector will be required prior to final approval.

2.1 Forages eligible for certification under this program

Chopped/shredded straw or hay composed of or contaminated with hosts of Hessian fly (Mayetiola destructor), including straw, culm (stem), and leaves of wheat (Triticum spp.) barley (Hordeum spp.), rye (Secale spp.) and wheatgrasses (Agropyron spp.),. grown in Canada and treated according to the heat treatment/dehydration certification compliance agreement are eligible for export to Japan.

Note:

• Baled and/or long hay and straw are not eligible products under this program.
• Approved species of baled hay not contaminated with hosts of Hessian fly can continue to be imported into Japan as usual under visual inspection as per D-03-14: Canadian Hay Certification Program.

2.2 Plant Quarantine Import Requirements

Quarantine pests are usually listed in importing country's plant quarantine import requirements as prohibited pests. All forage products must meet the plant quarantine import requirements of Japan, as follows:

Forage products must be:

• free from quarantine pests (e.g. Hessian fly) based on the heat treatment protocol outlined in this directive and implemented by participating facilities as per the compliance agreement with CFIA
• free from other visible pests, other than Hessian fly
• free from soil

2.3 Heat Treatment/Dehydration Procedure

To be eligible for this certification program, facilities must follow the procedures outlined below:

• The heat treatment/dehydrating process at the facilities shall be implemented by supplying hot air into the rotating drum and moving the forage product with the stream of hot air.
• The forage product will be subjected to an air temperature of at least 90°C.
• A digital automatic recording thermometer shall be installed at the outlet of the drum.
• The exhaust gas temperature at the outlet of the drum shall be able to be maintained at 90°C or higher.
• When the exhaust gas temperature at the outlet of the drum reaches 90°C or higher, the temperature inside of the drum shall be maintained at 90°C or higher such that the treated product leaving the drum has been subjected to a temperature of at least 90°C.

2.4 Facility Inspection and Certification

2.4.1 At least once per year and always at the beginning of annual production, the facility will be inspected by the CFIA to:

• Confirm that the readings of the automatic recording thermometer at the outlet of the drum are accurate.
• Confirm that the exhaust gas temperature at the outlet of the drum on the heat-drying facilities reaches 90°C or higher and that the temperature is maintained during treatment.
• Verify the records of the exhaust gas temperature at the outlet of the drum to confirm that treatment has been implemented appropriately.

2.4.2 Prior to the start of production by approved facilities, a confirmatory inspection will be conducted by a MAFF plant protection officer in the presence of CFIA personnel to verify the capacity of the approved treatment facilities to meet the import conditions of MAFF. Note: This requirement will be in place for the first two years of this certification program and subject thereafter to discussion with MAFF as to its continuation.

2.4.3 The following records for each treatment conducted must be kept by the facility and submitted to the CFIA as part of the inspection and certification process:

• Quality System Management procedures
• exhaust gas temperature data from the outlet of the drum at each facility for each treatment conducted
• quantity of material treated
• quantity of treated material in storage
• number of packages exported
• copies of the package tags

2.5 Storage, Handling, Packaging and Transportation

2.5.1 The packaging and storage areas should be used exclusively for forage products that have been heat treated/dehydrated under this certification program.

2.5.2 Untreated and treated products must be stored separately and the storage facilities must be contained and able to be secured. This may require loading the treated product directly into shipping containers.

2.5.3 The storage facilities must be clean, and, if necessary, disinfected using an approved pesticide.

2.5.4 Each package either an individual unit (e.g. bale, bag contained) or a collection of such units that are bound together such that the bundle integrity is maintained through export (e.g. a pallet or bales that has been wrapped in plastic) will bear a tag or label indicating:

• identity of forage species
• date of treatment
• the name, address and CFIA issued facility identification number
• the lot number (e.g. barcode, stamp, etc.) should also be clearly indicated on the tag or label of each package

The tag or label should state the information in this manner: "This ______ (identity of forage material and lot number) has been heat treated/dehydrated on _____ (date of treatment) at a temperature of 90°C or higher at _______ (heat treatment/dehydration facility name, address and CFIA issued facility identification number) that has been designated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

2.5.5 During transportation of the treated forage products to the temporary storage within the facility or to the vessel loading location, measures should be taken to prevent re-infestation by Hessian flies or untreated Hessian fly host material.

2.6 Sealing and Labeling of Shipping Containers

The material will be exported in ocean freight containers. Containers of heat-treated/ dehydrated forage products will be sealed and labeled by CFIA or CFIA designated personnel to indicate that the consignment has been certified for export to Japan. The container labels (sample in Appendix 3) will be issued to the facility by a CFIA approved provider and label costs will be borne by the exporter. Container labels must be securely fastened to the outside of the container and clearly visible.

2.7 Administrative Requirements

2.7.1 Compliance Agreement Conditions

In order for a facility to be approved to participate in this pilot certification program to export heat treated/dehydrated chopped/shredded forage products to Japan, the facility must be approved by the CFIA under compliance agreement. The compliance agreement conditions are presented in Appendix 2. Failure to comply with the conditions set out in this agreement will result in the revocation of the facility's certification.

2.7.2 Record Keeping

CFIA personnel in Network/Regional offices will maintain the files on and records from each approved facility participating in this pilot program for a period of no less than 3 years.

Records on each approved facility must include:

• application for approval under the Heat Treated Forage Program (1 copy)
• compliance Agreement (1 copy of signed agreement)
• the facility inspection reports
• the exhaust gas temperature data from the outlet of the drum for each treatment conducted
• the quantity of material disinfected
• the quantities moved into and out of packaging and temporary storage facilities
• copies of the package tags
• the number of packages exported
• the number of phytosanitary certificates issued for this type of product

2.7.3 CFIA Responsibilities

The CFIA program officer or inspector is responsible for evaluating the facility application, inspecting and auditing facilities, approving quality systems procedures, obtaining signatures for compliance documents and retaining the required facility records.

A signed copy of the compliance agreement will be sent to the National Manager, Grains and Field Crops section in Ottawa who will issue the facility approval letter. Once a facility is approved, the National Manager of the Grains and Field Crops section will forward its name to MAFF in order to have the facility recognized as an authorized exporter of heat treated/dehydrated forage products to Japan. A list of all authorized exporters will be maintained and forwarded to MAFF on an annual basis.

2.8 Phytosanitary Certification

Prior to export of a consignment, exporters of forage products are required to complete and submit an Application for Phytosanitary Certification to the CFIA. A phytosanitary certificate will be issued by the CFIA for each shipment in accordance with D-99-06: Policy on the Issuance of Phytosanitary Certificates, once it has been determined that the consignment meets the requirements of Japan. The phytosanitary certificate will specifically state that the forage product is not infested with Hessian flies based on the heat treatment conducted as per the specifications in this program. Details of the heat treatment will be included on the certificate using the following statement: "Shipment free of Hessian fly based on heat treatment/dehydration performed at a temperature of 90°C or higher at a heat-drying facility designated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency". The name and address of the facility and the date of treatment will be provided on the Phytosanitary Certificate.

2.9 Non compliance

Where inspections determine that an approved facility does not meet the conditions of the compliance agreement, its approval status will be revoked. The CFIA program officer will notify the approved facility in writing of this action.

A facility which has had its approval revoked may re-apply to participate in this pilot program once all necessary corrective actions have been implemented. A detailed report of the corrective actions taken must be submitted to the CFIA for evaluation. A CFIA inspector will inspect the facility to determine whether corrective actions are sufficient.

3.0 Appendices

Appendix 1: Application for "Pilot Certification Program for Heat-Treated/Dehydrated Shredded or Chopped Forage Products Of or Containing Hessian Fly Host Material Produced in Canada for Export to Japan"
Appendix 2: Compliance Agreement for "Pilot Certification Program for Heat-Treated/Dehydrated Shredded or Chopped Forage Products Of or Containing Hessian Fly Host Material Produced in Canada for Export to Japan" 
Appendix 3: Sample container label

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Appendix 1

Application to Participate in the "Pilot Certification Program for Heat-treated/dehydrated Shredded or Chopped Forage Products of or Containing Hessian Fly Host Material Produced in Canada for Export to Japan"

Name of Facility:__________________

Owner/Operator of Facility: __________________

Operations Manager: __________________

Address: __________________

Telephone Number: ___________________

Facsimile Number: ________________

Review and approval of Quality Systems Management procedures commendation of Applicant for Participation in Program

Facility Inspection Completed and Facility Recommended for Approval by:

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Appendix 2

Compliance Agreement Between the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Canadian Facilities Intending to Export Heat-treated/dehydrated Shredded or Chopped Forage Products of or Containing Hessian Fly Host Material Produced in Canada to Japan

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) verifies that ____________ (facility name) meets the compliance standards based on the following criteria:

1. A rotating drum is used in the heat treatment/dehydration such that the forage product moves under a continuous flow of hot air and reaches 90°C.
2. A digital automatic recording thermometer is installed at the outlet of the drum.
3. The exhaust gas temperature at the outlet of the drum is maintained at a designated temperature such that the temperature in the drum is 90°C or higher.
4. The treated product is maintained in isolation from non-treated product throughout the post-treatment handling, storage and transportation system.
5. Measures for preventing contamination of compliant with non-compliant forage product and for preventing the export of non-compliant forage products to Japan must be in place.
6. Storage areas must be cleaned prior to and after use to avoid contaminating treated forage product with untreated product
7. Records for each shipment of forage products must be submitted to the CFIA. The records will include: origin, species, type and quantity of forage material, quantity of material treated, date of treatment, treatment details, where stored, duration of storage, when shipped, lot number of finished product.
8. A document tracking process as part of the Quality Systems Management procedures to show traceability of forage product lots from arrival at facility through to the final exported product is in place.
9. The facility has the capacity to ensure that each package [either an individual unit (e.g. bale, bag contained) or, a collection of such units that are bound together such that the bundle integrity is maintained through export (e.g. a pallet or bales that has been wrapped in plastic)] for export bears a tag or label indicating: "This ___________ (identity of forage material) has been heat treated/dehydrated on _______ (date of treatment) at a temperature of 90°C or higher at ____________ (heat treatment/dehydration facility name, address and CFIA issued facility identification number) that has been designated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency."
10. The lot number of the finished product is clearly visible on the label of each package to facilitate trace-back.

I, ______________, the owner/operator in possession, care, or control of the above named facility have read and understood all the terms, conditions, obligations and requirements stated herein by which I may be approved to export approved forage product(s) in accordance with Directive 08-XX: Pilot Certification Program for Heat Treated/Dehydrated Shredded/Chopped Forage Products Produced in Canada Which Are or Contain Hessian Fly Host Material.

Further, I am and shall be responsible for and shall indemnify and save harmless Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, including the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Her Officers, Servants, Employees, Successors and Assigns, from and against all manners of actions, causes of action, claims, demands, loss, costs, damages, actions or other proceedings by whomsoever made, sustained, brought or prosecuted in any manner based upon, caused by, arising out of, attributable to or with respect to any failure, inadvertent or otherwise, by act or omission, to fully comply with the said conditions and requirements.

Exporter (or Representative) signature

__________________
Title

___________________
Location/Date

___________________
CFIA Inspector Signature

___________________
Location/Date

___________________
Regional Program Officer Signature

___________________
Location/Date

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Appendix 3

Sample Container Label