European Union (EU) - Export requirements for milk and dairy products

Eligible/ineligible product

EU export certificates for milk and dairy products refer to a list of HS code(s). This list is non exhaustive. It is the responsibility of the exporter to ensure that the product being exported will be covered by the certificates issued by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

Eligible

• Examples of dairy products with associated Harmonized System (HS) codes:
  • 0401 - Milk and cream, no sweetening
  • 0402 - Milk and cream with sweetening
  • 0403 - Fermented products
  • 0404 - Whey and whey products
  • 0405 - Butter
  • 0406 - Cheese
  • 1517 - Margarine
  • 1702 - Lactose
  • 2105 - Ice cream (standardized)
  • 2202 - Beverages containing milk
  • 2835 - Phosphates
  • 3501 - Casein
  • 3502 - Milk albumin
  • 3504 - Milk protein substances

Ineligible

• Information not available.

Pre-export approvals by the competent authority of the importing country

Establishments

• Milk and dairy products manufacturing establishments must operate using HACCP principles (see Preventive control plan (PCP) for domestic guidance) as stipulated in Commission Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council.
  • If products requiring temperature control are being exported from a storage warehouse outside the registered facility, the storage warehouse must be registered by the CFIA and must also be on the list of establishments approved to export dairy products to the EU.
• All Canadian establishments approved for export to the EU can be found on the EU website for Third Country Establishments List per Country.
• Establishments wishing to be on the EU list must contact CFIA regional office and complete the following form:
  • Request for Addition to the List of Canadian Dairy Establishments Approved for Export to the European Union. Please ensure that you have a unique identifier for your establishment before you submit your request to the CFIA regional office.
• Please note that after all documents are completed by the manufacturer and reviewed by the CFIA, it may take 40 days or more for the request to amend the list to be processed by the European Union.
• Note: DG-SANTE has added the letter "D" as a suffix to the unique identifier (former registration number) of certain dairy establishments appearing on the list of Canadian establishments approved for the EU. This was necessary because these dairy establishments shared the same unique identifier number with other Canadian establishments appearing on lists of establishments approved to export other commodities, such as fish and seafood products, to the EU. This suffix was added only for the purpose of maintaining the list. Exporters can maintain their label as is and do not need to add the "D" to the information recorded on the certificate.

Product specifications

Microbiological requirements

• Milk and dairy products needing certification, intended for human consumption must meet the relevant microbiological criteria stipulated in Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 of 15 November 2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs with amendments.
• CFIA must be provided with a signed copy of a laboratory report indicating that each lot of the shipment was analysed by a laboratory officially accredited by the Standard Council of Canada (SCC) before issuing a health certificate.
• Compositing of samples for analysis is not acceptable in the case of a multi-lot shipment.

Maximum levels for therapeutants and antibiotics

• Dairy products must comply with the EU maximum residue limits (MRLs), for residues of pharmacologically active substances in food, as found in the Annex of Commission Regulation (EU) No. 37/2010 of 22 December 2009 on pharmacologically active substances and their classification regarding maximum residue limits in foodstuffs of animal origin.

Production Controls and Inspection Requirements

Manufacturer's certificate

• All final export requests for milk and dairy products must be accompanied by a Manufacturer's certificate issued and signed by an authorized person of the registered establishment where the product was manufactured or prepared.
• The product(s) must be clearly identified on the Manufacturer's certificate and match exactly the product(s) that are part of the export shipment. In the case where a large number of different products are being shipped, a computerized printout containing all the required information may be attached to the Manufacturer's certificate if it contains all the required information.
• In cases where the list of ingredients of a dairy blend consists of milk ingredients or modified milk ingredients, each dairy ingredient in the blend must be listed separately on the Manufacturer's certificate. An ingredient with a single class name (e.g. modified milk ingredients or milk ingredients) is not acceptable on the Manufacturer's certificate.
• Original signed Manufacturer's certificates are to be kept on file at the plant. These files may be verified during preventive control inspection (PCI)

Imported dairy ingredients

• Manufacturers producing milk and dairy products needing certification, containing imported dairy ingredients must be able to show that the ingredients: were sourced from EU approved establishments in exporting countries authorized to export to the EU (Appendix I, of Commission Regulation (EU) No 605/2010); and, comply with the animal health requirements of EU Council Directive 2002/99/EC and of Commission Regulation (EC) No 853/2004.
• If foreign dairy ingredients are used, the Imported ingredients section of the Manufacturer's Certificate must be completed.

Export documents available upon request

Certificate

The certificate models are not available in all the languages of the member states of the Union. The CFIA may add other certificate models in additional languages of the Union as required. A reasonable delay is to be expected. However, a member state could accept a certificate which is not issued in its official language. It is the responsibility of the exporter to ensure that the certificate issued meets the requirements of the border control post (BCP)/member state of destination in terms of official language.

• Model Milk-HTB: Health certificate for dairy products derived from milk of cows, ewes, goats and buffaloes for human consumption from third countries or parts thereof authorised in column B of Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 605/2010 intended for importation into the European Union. CFIA/ACIA 5816.
• Model Milk-HTC: Health certificate for dairy products for human consumption from third countries or parts thereof authorised in column C of Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 605/2010 intended for importation into the European Union. CFIA/ACIA 5817.
• Model Milk-T/S: Animal health certificate for raw milk or dairy products for human consumption, for [transit] / [storage] in the European Union. CFIA/ACIA 5818.

Additional information

Samples (personal or commercial) of dairy products may be subject to the same requirements as a regular shipment. It is strongly recommended that the exporter verify these requirements with his importer and / or at the EU border inspection post where the products will be shipped.

• Link to the list of the Member countries of the European Union (EU). Please note that the EU has international agreements with some countries (e.g. Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein), which means that they implement EU veterinary legislation with regard to movement of animal products.
• Link to the list of the EU Veterinary border control.
• Link to the EU models of health certificates list of third countries or part thereof authorised for the introduction into the EU of consignments of raw milk and dairy products and indicating the type of heat treatment required for such commodities, see Commission Regulation (EU) No 605/2010.
• Link to the relevant microbiological criteria for foodstuffs, see Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 of November 2005 with amendments.