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Exporting aquatic animals

Effective January 15, 2022, exporters for food and animal commodities destined for the European Union (EU) where certification is required under the new EU Animal Health Law will be required to use updated export certificates accessed through the Trade Control and Expert System New Technology (TRACES NT). Existing export certificates to the EU will be accepted until March 15, 2022 as long as they were signed before January 15, 2022.

The only exception to this is for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) form Certificate of Free Sale (CFIA/ACIA 5786) which is available for food products manufactured by licensed parties under the Safe Food for Canadians Act (SFCA) and Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR). The Certificate of Free Sale does not replace product or commodity specific certificates that have been negotiated with foreign countries. It also does not replace or supersede additional import requirements that may be established by the importing country.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is responsible for certifying exports of aquatic animals in order to:

The CFIA certifies exports for animal health and food safety purposes, which can include fish and seafood export program requirements.

The National Animal Health Export Program facilitates Canadian export activities related to aquatic animal health. It will do this through its inspection and certification programs that are designed to meet the requirements of other countries, using science-based principles and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH; founded as Office International des Épizooties (OIE)) standards.

More information

Exporters intending to export an aquatic animal or fish and seafood product should contact the nearest CFIA animal health office for information or certification requirements.

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