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Operational procedure: Issuing an export certificate for processed egg products

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1.0 Purpose

The purpose of this document is to provide guidance to Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) inspection staff on issuing export certificates for processed egg products intended for human consumption.

The guidance outlined below should be used when an inspector receives a request for an export certificate at the issuing CFIA office from an exporter and the Digital Service Delivery Platform (DSDP) is not accessible to the inspector (for example, DSDP is down, offline) or until such time the certificate is available in DSDP. The guidance for using TRACES (Trade Control and Expert System) for export to the European Union (EU) is also included.

This document is intended to be used in conjunction with other guidance documents as referenced in Section 3.0.

2.0 Authorities

The inspection powers, control actions and enforcement actions authorized by the above legislation are identified and explained in the Operational guideline – Food regulatory response guidelines.

3.0 Reference documents

4.0 Definitions

Unless specified below, definitions are located in either the:

5.0 Acronyms

Acronyms are spelled out the first time they are used in this document and are consolidated in the Food business line acronyms list.

6.0 Operational procedure for the export of processed egg products

Note:

For the certification procedures for inedible processed egg that is exported as animal feed, refer to the following guidance:

For processed egg products destined for the EU, export certificates will be issued using the European's TRACES NT system, as of January 15, 2022. Please consult the Comparative table for EU export certification using TRACES (accessible only on the Government of Canada network - RDIMS 15803292).

6.1 Receipt of an application

Upon receipt of a Food export certificate application request (accessible only on the Government of Canada network – RDIMS 11409529), inspectors must ensure that the exporter meets the regulatory requirements:

The inspector checks the importing country's requirements and where applicable, that the exporter is on the importing country eligibility list. Refer to Industry guidance: Food export requirements library.

Exports of processed egg products to a foreign country must be packed, marked and certified in accordance with the provisions of the SFCR.

As indicated on the CFIA Food exports page, exporters are responsible to verify and meet the import requirements of the destination country. Documentation of import requirements as issued by the competent authority of the importing country is to be maintained by the exporter for at least two years [SFCR 16(2)]. When no requirements are available, exporters can export at their own commercial risk.

If the shipper wishes to export processed egg product that does not meet the requirements of the regulations in respect of standards, packing or marking, they must:

  1. demonstrate that the processed egg has been prepared in a licenced processed egg establishment
  2. provide the inspector with a signed statement:
    • confirming that the container and markings comply with the requirements of the importing country, and
    • setting out the quality specifications of the contract under which the processed egg is being exported.

6.2 Reviewing the application

The inspector will review the Food export certificate application request to verify completed accurately. Before issuing a certificate, inspection staff must review:

The identified additional tasks that are completed in support of an export certificate are stored in DSDP as per the Interim guidance on entering food commodity inspection data into DSDP (accessible only on the Government of Canada network - RDIMS 12369415).

6.3 Processing the certificate

6.3.1 The Certificate of inspection for processed egg (CFIA/ACIA 2684) contains mandatory fields for laboratory analysis. At a minimum before issuing an export certificate, all lots must be sampled for:

These tests must be performed either by a CFIA lab or by an accredited laboratory. The inspector will verify that the results meet the regulatory requirements of the FDR [B.22.033] and the SFCR including the Canadian Standards of Identity: Volume 2 – Processed Egg Products.

Additional sampling may be required to meet the requirements of the foreign country. The inspector will review the Industry guidance – Food export requirements library and the Export certification inspection task tables (accessible only on the Government of Canada network) to determine if additional requirements apply.

6.3.2 When the inspector is satisfied that the applicant and the consignment meet the requirements and has reviewed and determined that the information submitted by the applicant is acceptable, the inspector will generate the applicable export certificate as indicated on the Industry guidance – Food export requirements library.

The inspector will populate the certificate with the compulsory information which is found on the Food export certificate application request.

When indicated in the Industry guidance – Food export requirements library that health of animal declarations are required, it must be done on a separate certificate, unless there is a certificate that combines both the public health and animal health requirements available for the destination country. A Veterinarian must sign any certificate that contains animal health declarations.

6.4 Issuing the certificate

6.4.1 All certificates must be signed in blue ink and stamped using red ink. The stamp used for the certificate must be in the format as per the Operational procedure: Guidance on the purchase, use, control and decommissioning of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency official export certificate stamp (OECS)OG/OO-20150831 (accessible only on the Government of Canada network – RDIMS 12181558)

6.4.2 A certificate must be issued with the actual date of signing. A certificate must not be dated after the date of departure from Canada (as documented on the bill of lading for the shipment).

6.4.3 When an inspector issues a certificate, all documentation related to this certificate must be kept on file at the local CFIA office. This includes, but is not limited to:

6.4.4 Until DSDP is used for the issuance of processed egg export certificates, the certificates are tracked using the system in use currently. Until the use of DSDP has been established, each office must keep a log of export documents issued. There is no standard format but this log must include the tombstone information of the product being exported.

6.4.5 An inspector may sign a certificate based on a documented official inspection or decision by another inspector. The process is described below.

When shipments of processed egg are exported by a company that did not manufacture the product, the inspector of the manufacturing establishment can provide supporting documentation to the certifying inspector.

Supporting documentation includes:

The following scenarios explain the circumstances and documentation for such shipments.

Scenario a)

Licensed processed egg product establishment "X" breaks the eggs, heat treats and packages the product, loads and transports them to licensed processed egg product establishment "Y" and the product is exported from "Y"

Scenario b)

Licensed processed egg product establishment "X" breaks the eggs, loads and transports them to licensed processed egg product establishment "Y" for heat treatment and packaging. Licensed processed egg product establishment "Y" then loads and transports the finished pasteurized product to either a 3rd licensed processed egg product establishment or a licensed 3rd party premises (for example, storage) "Z" and the product is subsequently presented for export certification at "Z".

Scenario c)

Licensed processed egg product establishment "X" breaks the eggs, applies a heat treatment and packages the finished pasteurized product. The product is subsequently presented for export certification at a 2nd licensed processed egg product establishment or licensed 3rd party premises "Z".

6.5 Replacement of issued certificate

For the procedure to issue a replacement certificate, please refer to the Replacing export certificates for food (accessible only on the Government of Canada network – RDIMS 10878038).

For export certificates that are issued through TRACES NT, the comparative table (accessible only on the Government of Canada network – RDIMS 15803292) has additional information regarding the replacement function.

For general inquiries related to this operational guidance Document, please follow established communication channels, including submitting an electronic Request for Action Form (e-RAF).

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