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European Union (EU) - Export requirements for fish and seafood

Important note

The export requirements library outlines destination country requirements you need to meet when exporting. They include importing country conditions the Canadian government has accepted for issuing export certificates. Their purpose is to facilitate access to overseas markets for Canadian exporters.

The destination country conditions provided below are based on information available to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) at the time of posting. Before you commence full-scale production and export your products to a foreign market, it is your responsibility to confirm the current import, regulatory and commercial requirements with the importer and the foreign competent authority. You are responsible for ensuring that your exports comply with applicable Canadian and importing country requirements. When you request an export certificate, the CFIA may request that you provide written documentation or verification to confirm that your products have met Canadian and importing country requirements.

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Eligible/ineligible product

EU export certificates for fish and seafood refer to a list of Harmonized System (HS) code(s) which cover the types of aquatic animals and their products which can be certified using the certificates identified in this document. It is the responsibility of the exporter to ensure that the product being exported will be covered by the certificates issued by the CFIA. The list of HS codes includes: 0301, 0302, 0303, 0304, 0305, 0306, 0307, 0308, 0511, 1504, 1516, 1518, 1603, 1604, 1605 and 2106.

Eligible

Ineligible

Note: Chinese scallops that are transformed (scallop adductor muscle), wild caught (not from aquaculture), with certain anatomic limitation (roe-off), and with certain fishing conditions, are eligible so long as all relevant hygienic practices, including microbiological and biotoxin testing requirements for LBM (as defined in the EU legislation), are met. Live and unprocessed whole scallops from China are not eligible for export certification to the EU.

Public health related export requirements – apply to all exports to the EU

1. Pre-export approvals by competent authority of importing country

Establishments

Establishments must appear on the appropriate establishment list administered by Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG-SANTE). The lists pertinent to fish and seafood are available on the EU website for Establishment Lists

Cold storage warehouses storing and handling fish and seafood products as part of the supply chain for export to the EU are also required to be on the appropriate EU lists identified above.

Note: DG-SANTE has added the letter "F" as a suffix to the old registration number/unique establishment identifier of certain registered fish processing establishments appearing on the list of Canadian exporters approved for the EU. This was necessary because these fish processing establishments shared the same old registration number/unique establishment identifier with other Canadian establishments appearing on lists of establishments approved to export other commodities, such as dairy 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 "F" to the information recorded on the certificate.

Procedure to update EU approval lists

Note: all additions, amendments and deletions will be  submitted to the EU for approval. Approval Time frames may vary depending upon circumstances beyond the control of the CFIA.

Effective dates for additions, deletions and modifications to EU approval lists

Additions
Modifications
Deletions

2. Product specifications

Microbiological requirements

Ready-to-eat (RTE) fish and seafood products Table note 1
Criteria n Table note 2 c Table note 3 m Table note 4 M Table note 5
Listeria monocytogenes 5 0 100 -
Cooked crustaceans and molluscan shellfish Table note 7
Criteria n Table note 2 c Table note 3 m Table note 4 M Table note 5
Salmonella 5 0 Absence in 25 g -
Escherichia coli Table note 8 5 2 1 10
Coagulase staphylococci positive Table note 8 5 2 100 1000
Live bivalve molluscs
Criteria n Table note 2 c Table note 3 m Table note 4 M Table note 5
Salmonella 5 0 Absence in 25 g Table note 9 -
Escherichia coli Table note 10 5 0 230 / 100 g Table note 11 -

Parasites

Maximum levels for chemical contaminants

Permitted additives (excluding colouring agents and sweeteners)
Additive Applicable fish products Maximum level permitted (ppm)
Ascorbic acid Table note 12 Tuna 300
Sodium ascorbate Table note 12 Tuna 300
Calcium ascorbate Table note 12 Tuna 300
Benzoic or sorbic acid Table note 13 Semi-preserved fish products including fish roe 2000
Benzoic or sorbic acid Table note 13 Cooked shrimp 2000
Benzoic or sorbic acid Table note 13 Salted, dried fish 200
Sulphites Table note 14 Dried, salted fish of Gadidae species 200
Sulphites Table note 14 Fresh and frozen cephalopods 150
Sulphites Table note 14

Crustaceans of the families Penaeidae, Soleneridae and Aristedae

  • up to 80 units
150
Sulphites Table note 14

Crustaceans of the families Penaeidae, Soleneridae and Aristedae

  • between 80 and 120 units
200
Sulphites Table note 14

Crustaceans of the families Penaeidae, Soleneridae and Aristedae

  • over 120 units
300
Sulphites Table note 14

Crustaceans of the families Penaeidae, Soleneridae and Aristedae

  • cooked
50
Sulphites Table note 14 Fresh and frozen crustaceans not included above 150
Phosphates Table note 15 Surimi 1000
Phosphates Table note 15 Frozen fillets of unprocessed fish Table note 16 5000
Phosphates Table note 15 Frozen molluscan shellfish (excluding scallop meats) 5000
Phosphates Table note 15 Frozen crustaceans 5000
Phosphates Table note 15 Fish and crustacean pastes 5000
Calcium disodium EDTA Canned and bottled fish, frozen crustaceans and molluscs 75
Boric acid Caviar (sturgeon's eggs) 4.0
Citrates Unprocessed fish, crustaceans and molluscs GMP Table note 17
Nitrates Pickled herring and sprat 200
Sorbitol, mannitol, isomalt, maltitol, lactitol, xylitol Frozen unprocessed fish, crustaceans, molluscs and cephalopods (for purposes other than sweetening). GMP Table note 17
Mercury
Applicable fish products Maximum level permitted (ppm)
  • Sharks (all species)
  • Tuna (Thunnus spp.)
  • Little tuna (Euthynnus spp.)
  • Bonito (Sarda spp.)
  • Plain bonito (Orcynopsis unicolor)
  • Swordfish (Xiphias gladius)
  • Sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus)
  • Marlin (Makaira spp.)
  • Eel (Anguilla spp.)
  • Bass (Dicentrarchus labrax)
  • Sturgeon (Acipenser spp.)
  • Halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus)
  • Redfish (Sebastes marinus, Sebastes mentella)
  • Blue ling (Molva dipterygia)
  • Atlantic catfish (Anarhichas lupus)
  • Pike (Esox lucius)
  • Portuguese dogfish (Centroscymnes coelolepis)
  • Rays (Raja spp.)
  • Scabbardfishes (Lepidopus caudatus, Aphanopus carbo)
  • Anglerfish (Lophius spp.)
  • Emperor or Orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus)
  • Bonito (Sarda sarda)
  • Grenadier (Coryphaenoides rupestris)
  • Plain bonito (Orcynopsis unicolor)
  • Snake mackerel or Butterfish (Lepidocybium flavobrunneum, Ruvettus pretiosus, Gempylus serpens)
1.0 Table note 18
Other species of fish not mentioned above 0.5 Table note 19
Lead
Applicable fish products Maximum level permitted (ppm)
Muscle meat of fish 0.3
Crustaceans, excluding brown meat of crab 0.5
Bivalve molluscs 1.5
Cephalopods (without viscera) 1.0
Cadmium
Applicable fish products Maximum level permitted (ppm)
Muscle meat of fish (excluding those listed below) 0.05

Muscle meat of:

  • Bonito (Sarda sarda)
  • Common two banded seabream (Diplodus vulgaris)
  • Eel (Anguilla anguilla)
  • European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus)
  • Grey mullet (Mugil labrosus labrosus)
  • Horse mackerel or Scad (Trachurus trachurus)
  • Louvar or Luvar (Luvarus imperialis)
  • Sardine (Sardina pilcardus)
  • Sardinops (Sardinops species)
  • Tuna (Thunnus spp. and Euthynnys species)
  • Wedge sole (Dicologoglossa cuneata)
0.1
Muscle meat of bullet tuna (Auxis species) 0.2

Muscle meat of:

  • Anchovy (Engraulis species)
  • Swordfish (Xiphius gladius)
0.3

Crustaceans, excluding:

  • brown meat of crab
  • head and thorax meat of lobster and similar large crustaceans (Nephropidae and Palinuridae)
0.5
Bivalve molluscs 1.0
Cephalopods (without viscera) 1.0
Dioxin and PCBs
Applicable fish products Maximum level permitted – Sum of dioxins Table note 20 Maximum level permitted – Sum of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs Table note 21 Maximum level permitted – Sum of PCB congeners Table note 22

Muscle meat Table note 23 of fish and seafood excluding the following:

  • wild caught eel
  • wild caught fresh water fish with the exception of diadromous fish species caught in fresh water
  • fish liver and derived products
  • marine oils
3.5 pg/g (wet weight) 6.5 pg/g (wet weight) 75 ng/g (wet weight)
Muscle meat of wild caught eels (Anguilla anguilla), and products thereof 3.5 pg/g (wet weight) 10.0 pg/g (wet weight) 300 ng/g (wet weight)
Muscle meat of wild caught fresh water fish, excluding diadromous fish species caught in fresh water, and products thereof 3.5 pg/g (wet weight) 6.5 pg/g (wet weight) 125 ng/g (wet weight)
Fish liver and product derived thereof, with the exception of fish oil 20.0 pg/g (wet weight) 200 ng/g (wet weight)
Fish oil intended for human consumption 1.75 pg/g (fat) 6.0 pg/g (fat) 200 ng/g (fat)
Histamines
Applicable fish products Number of samples Average maximum level permitted (ppm) Table note 24 Absolute maximum level permitted (ppm Table note 25

Fish species of the following families Table note 26:

  • Scombridae
  • Clupeidae
  • Engraulidae
  • Coryphaenidae
9 100 200
Shellfish toxins
Toxin Maximum level permitted
Paralytic shellfish poison (saxitoxin) 80 µg / 100 g
Amnesic shellfish poison (domoic acid) 20 µg / g
Diarrheic shellfish poison (okadaic acid) 160 µg / kg Table note 27
3.75 mg / kg Table note 28
160 µg / kg Table note 29
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
Applicable fish products Maximum level permitted (µg/kg):
Benzo(a)pyrene
Maximum level permitted (µg/kg):
Sum of benzo(a)pyrene, benz(a)anthracene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, and chrysene
Oils and fats intended for direct human consumption or use as an ingredient in food Table note 30 2.0 10.0
Muscle meat of smoked fish and smoked fishery products, excluding products listed below Table note 31 2.0 12.0
Smoked sprats and canned smoked sprats (Sprattus sprattus) 5.0 30.0
Bivalve molluscs (fresh, chilled, or frozen) 5.0 30.0
Bivalve molluscs (smoked) 6.0 35.0

Maximum levels for therapeutants and antibiotics

Drug residues
Substance Applicable fish products Maximum level permitted (ppm)
Sulphonamide group Table note 32 Muscle tissue of all fish and seafood 0.1 Table note 33
Trimethoprim Table note 32 Muscle Table note 34 tissue of all fish and seafood 0.05
Amoxicillin Muscle Table note 34 tissue of all fish and seafood 0.05
Ampicillin Muscle Table note 34 tissue of all fish and seafood 0.05
Benzylpenicillin Muscle Table note 34 tissue of all fish and seafood 0.05
Cloxacillin Muscle tissue of all fish and seafood 0.3
Dicloxacillin Muscle tissue of all fish and seafood 0.3
Oxacillin Muscle tissue of all fish and seafood 0.3
Danofloxacin Muscle Table note 34 tissue of all fish and seafood 0.1
Difloxacin Muscle Table note 34 tissue of all fish and seafood 0.3
Enrofloxacin
(sum of enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin)
Muscle Table note 34 tissue of all fish and seafood 0.1
Flumequine Muscle Table note 34 tissue of fin fish 0.6
Oxolinic Acid Muscle Table note 34 tissue of fin fish 0.1
Sarafloxacin Muscle Table note 34 tissue of Salmonidae 0.03
Erythromycin Muscle Table note 34 tissue of all fish and seafood 0.2
Tilmicosin Muscle Table note 34 tissue of all fish and seafood 0.05
Tylosin Muscle tissue of all fish and seafood 0.1
Florfenicol Table note 32 Muscle Table note 34 tissue of fin fish 1.0
Chlortetracycline
(sum of parent drug and its 4-epimer)
Muscle tissue of all fish and seafood 0.1
Oxytetracyclin Table note 32
(sum of parent drug and its 4-epimer)
Muscle tissue of all fish and seafood 0.1
Tetracycline Muscle tissue of all fish and seafood 0.1
Lincomycin Muscle tissue of all fish and seafood 0.1
Neomycin
(including framycetin)
Muscle tissue of all fish and seafood 0.5
Paromomycin Muscle tissue of all fish and seafood 0.5
Spectinomycin Muscle tissue of all fish and seafood 0.3
Azagly-nafarelin Salmonidae Not subject to MRL
Colistin Muscle tissue of all fish and seafood 0.15
Deltamethrin Muscle Table note 34 tissue of fin fish 0.01
Cypermethrin Muscle Table note 34 tissue of Salmonidae 0.05
Diflubenzuron Muscle Table note 34 tissue of Salmonidae 1.0
Teflubenzuron Table note 32 Muscle Table note 34 tissue of Salmonidae 0.5
Azamethipos Salmonidae Not subject to MRL
Emamectin Muscle Table note 34 tissue of Salmonidae 0.1
Bronopol
(for use only on farmed fertilised eggs)
Salmonidae Not subject to MRL
Somatosalm Salmon Not subject to MRL
Tricaine mesilate Table note 32
(for water-borne use only)
Fin fish Not subject to MRL
Tosylchloramide sodium
(for water-borne use only)
Fin fish Not subject to MRL
Formaldehyde Table note 32 All fish and seafood Not subject to MRL
Hydrogen Peroxide All fish and seafood Not subject to MRL
Praziquantel (sum of isomers) Muscle and skin of finfish in natural proportions 0.02

3. Additional requirements

Note: different EU Member States may have additional requirements. Exporters should contact their importers to determine if there are other country specific requirements that apply to their exports.

EU traceability requirements related to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing

Obtaining a Catch Certificate

Personal consignments of products of animal origin

Export of sport-caught fish in excess of 20 kilograms from recognized British Columbia sport fish lodges
Raw sport-caught fish (frozen steaks and fillets)
Processed sport-caught fish (canned, smoked or other preparations)

Certification of gelatin softgel capsules containing fish oil

Safe Food for Canadian (SFC) licensed vessels landing fish in EU

The guidance provided in this section applies to product certification for fish products landed by SFC licensed fishing vessels at a Border Control Post (BCP) which follows EU certification requirements.

Eligible
Ineligible

The vessel harvesting and processing activities are being conducted under Canadian jurisdiction and are subject to the requirements of the SFCR. Product export certification controls and procedures must be documented in the PCP of the licensed vessel.

CFIA reserves the right to require that the product be presented for inspection in Canada, if in the opinion of the inspector, a product inspection is necessary prior to validating the requested certificate. Export certificates will be issued using TRACES NT.

If products to be certified to the EU are from a Canadian factory vessel which is landing the product directly in the EU or in a transit country, the following restrictions will apply:

Requests for product certification are to follow established procedures and are to be made through the submission of the Request for Export Certification to the EU – TRACES NT – Fish and Seafood form.

Note: CFIA will make every reasonable effort to validate the submitted certificate as quickly as possible.

Specific guidance for completion of the TRACES NT certification submission for SFC licensed vessels landing fish in EU

Box I.11 – Place of dispatch: name and address on the SFC licence of the vessel

Box I.13 – Place of loading: name and address on the SFC licence of the vessel

Note: if a vessel is chosen as the place of loading in Box I.13, the vessel must be selected from the list of "operators" as opposed to the list of "controlled locations". The "valid" designation for the profile will not appear if the "controlled location" selection is used when completing this field.

Box I.14 – Date and time of departure: must not precede the date of validation of the certificate in TRACES NT

Box I.15 – Means of transport: will be completed as "vessel" and the information pertaining to the harvest vessel will be entered

4. Labelling, packaging and marking requirements

Additional labelling and packaging requirements for live bivalve molluscs

5. Documentation requirements

The EU health certificate is issued electronically through TRACES NT by the CFIA. If a paper copy is required for record purposes, a copy can be printed from TRACES NT by the exporter.

Aquatic animals or products of aquatic animals must still be in Canada at the time when the certificate is issued in TRACES NT. Once the certificate is issued, the signing date is automatically placed on the certificate. The date on the bill of lading of the product indicating when the product is exported from Canada to the EU must not be before the date of issuance on the certificate.

Certificate names as indicated in TRACES NT

The applicant must select the EU model certificate that corresponds to the product intended for export by selecting the appropriate HS code and then completing Part I. In TRACES NT, ensure that you choose the most recent version of the certificate model which identifies the EU regulation (2020/2235) and the name of the certificate as listed below. A replacement certificate cannot be issued for a shipment exported using an incorrect EU model certificate. If the certificate named below cannot be found, contact your local CFIA office.

The EU health certificate contain 2 parts in TRACES NT. Part I is to be completed by the applicant. Part II of the certificate must be completed by the CFIA.

Part II of the certificate, where the attestations are located, is made up of both public health and animal health attestations. When only the public health attestations apply, a CFIA inspector can sign the certificate. If both public health and animal health attestations apply, then only a CFIA veterinary inspector can sign the certificate. This does not apply to the following certificate, which is signed by inspectors:

Note: it is the responsibility of the exporter to ensure that Part I of the certificate is completed in a manner that will be accepted by the Border Control Post (BCP) of the importing country.

Exporters who submit a TRACES certificate which deviates from the guidance in this document will be required to provide official documentation issued by the foreign competent authority to demonstrate that the certificate will be accepted by the BCP.

Requesting an export certificate

The Request for Export Certification to the EU – TRACES NT– Fish and Seafood form is available at the following link: Request for Export Certification to the EU – TRACES NT – Fish and Seafood – Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

Also refer to the above link for detailed instructions on how to complete the certificate request form.

Replacement certificates

As per Article 6 of Regulation (EU) 2020/2235, replacement certificates for consignments of animals and goods intended for human consumption can only be issued in the case of administrative errors in the initial certificate.

A replacement certificate cannot be issued for errors in the initial certificate concerning the identification of the consignment, its traceability and the guarantees provided for in the initial certificate for the consignment.

Changes to the information concerning the consignee, the importer, the border control post of entry into the EU or the means of transport after the certificate has been issued may not require a replacement certificate. It is strongly recommended to work closely with your importer in the EU to reflect these changes in the common health entry document (CHED) generated by the importer.

If a replacement certificate is requested by a BCP of the importing EU member state, the CFIA local office may request for documentation issued by the foreign competent authority to demonstrate that the replacement certificate will be accepted by the BCP. The CFIA will consider the issuance of these replacement certificates on a case-by-case basis.

The TRACES NT system does not allow replacement certificates to be issued when a change in certificate model is required. Exporters are reminded to select the correct certificate model when submitting a certificate request. If the original issued certificate has been cloned by the importer to create the CHED, the TRACES NT system will not allow a replacement to be created until the cloned CHED has been deleted by the importer. It is the exporter's responsibility to communicate this with the importer.

6. Determining if animal health requirements apply to the aquatic animals or products of aquatic animals being exported

The applicant or exporter must be able to determine if animal health requirements apply to the shipment, which requires completion of Part B of the Request for Export Certification to the EU – TRACES NT– Fish and Seafood form.

There are some exemptions that must be considered to determine if the animal health attestations on the certificate will apply to the aquatic animals or their products that are exported to the EU.

It will be extremely important to declare the accurate end use for the exported aquatic animals and their products. The choices are products for human consumption or for *further processing.

*Further processing means any type of measures and techniques, carried out before the placing on the market for human consumption, affecting anatomical wholeness, such as bleeding, evisceration, heading, slicing and filleting which produce waste or by-products which could cause a risk of disease spread.

Products that are certified with public health attestations only

When exporting the following aquatic animals or their products, only the public health requirements will apply:

or

or

For products that only require public health attestations, applicants or exporters only need to complete Part A of the Request for Export Certification to the EU – TRACES NT– Fish and Seafood form.

Products that are certified with public health AND animal health attestations

When exporting the following aquatic animals or their products, both public health and animal health requirements will apply:

* EU listed and vector species are any that are listed in column 3 of Annex to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/216

For products that require both public health and animal health attestations, applicants must complete Part A and Part B of the Request for Export Certification to the EU – TRACES NT– Fish and Seafood form.

When animal health requirements apply, there are restrictions on combining more than one species in a single package or product types in one shipment to be exported to the EU at the same time. As a result, not all aquatic animals or products can be certified under the same certificate:

Declarations on Part B of the Request for Export Certification to the EU – TRACES NT– Fish and Seafood form

Declarations relating to attestations II.2.2.1. and II.2.2.2. on the EU certificate

These declarations only apply to consignments containing aquaculture animals (finfish, molluscs and crustaceans).

An aquaculture animal is any finfish, crustacean, or mollusc which is obtained from a farm or aquaculture licence/landfile/lease/tenure.

From Part B – declaration form:

II.2.2.1.

If exporting aquaculture animals which are EU listed and if live, vector species, I have confirmed that the *aquaculture establishment from which I obtained the animals to be exported has a valid aquaculture licence issued by the province or territory or Fisheries and Oceans Canada and has records of the following:

II.2.2.2.

If exporting aquaculture animals which are EU listed species or if the animals are live, an EU vector species, I confirm that I have records which verify that the animals have been grown on landfile(s) and/or lease(s) and/or aquaculture tenure(s) that has received an annual veterinary visit for the purpose of detecting any occurrence of disease(s) and that no diseases have been identified.

Tick the checkbox if you are exporting aquatic animals from an aquaculture license/lease/landfile/tenure.

Otherwise, these 2 declarations are not applicable.

Fish and seafood establishments involved in the export of aquaculture aquatic animals or their products (for further processing only) to the EU must have records to demonstrate that all aquaculture products received at their establishment originate from licensed aquaculture establishments that meet the requirements mentioned below.

Requirements for licensed aquaculture establishments

The aquaculture establishment is required to have the following controls/requirements in place before their aquatic animals or products are eligible for export to the EU:

  1. The aquaculture establishment from which the consignment originates must be registered or licensed. This means the aquaculture establishment must have a valid aquaculture licence issued by Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) or the province or territory in which the establishment is located
  2. The aquaculture establishment from which the aquatic animals originate must be one where the license holder has the following up to date records for at least 3 years:
    1. the species, category (finfish, crustaceans, molluscs) and number of animals at the establishment
    2. movements of aquatic animals into and out of the establishment
    3. mortality in the establishment
  3. The aquaculture establishment must have a veterinary visit at a minimum frequency of once per year and for the express purpose of detecting signs of EU regulated diseases and other diseases.

A copy of the annual veterinary report should be maintained by the exporter and must be submitted to the CFIA along with the Request for Export Certification to the EU – TRACES NT – Fish and Seafood form when requesting for a certificate.

The CFIA has developed a template for the annual veterinary report that exporters can provide to the private veterinarian to advise him/her on the details of the activities need to be completed for export to the EU. The template references cultured molluscs as an example, and can be accessed at Annual Veterinary Visit Report Template for the Export of Molluscs to the European Union (EU).

Requirements for annual veterinary visit

Each establishment exporting to the EU will require, from each aquaculture farm/premises, a signed report from the attending veterinarian documenting that during the annual visit, the following records were examined and determined to be satisfactory:

Declaration relating to attestation II.2.3.3. on the EU certificate

The live wild molluscs or aquaculture aquatic animals (finfish, molluscs or crustaceans) or their products are to be shipped directly from the establishment of export to the European Union.

Declaration relating to attestation II.2.3.4. on the EU certificate

The exporter must confirm that the live wild molluscs or aquaculture aquatic animals (finfish, molluscs or crustaceans) or their products have not comingled with other EU listed or vector species. Also, provide the province of origin or surrounding harvest waters of the aquatic animals so that CFIA can determine if the animals have been in contact with animals of a different health status.

The aquaculture establishment from which the animals to be exported to the EU are derived or purchased must have a list of the countries from which the aquatic animals were imported.

Declaration relating to attestation II.2.5. on the EU certificate

The exporter must confirm that at the time of export, the live wild molluscs or aquaculture aquatic animals (finfish, molluscs or crustaceans) or the population from which the products were derived:

Declaration relating to attestation II.2.6.1. on the EU certificate

The exporter must confirm, if exporting live aquatic animals in water, that arrangements have been made that the water in which they are transported in is not changed in a third country or territory, zone or compartment which is not approved for entry of the particular species and category of aquatic animals into the European Union

If exporting live aquatic animals that are not transported in water, tick the checkbox indicating "not applicable" on the declaration form.

Declaration relating to attestation II.2.6.2. on the EU certificate

The exporter must confirm that for live aquatic animals exports, arrangements have been made prior to loading for dispatch to the European Union, that the aquatic animals are not transported under conditions that jeopardize their health status, in particular:

If not exporting live aquatic animals, then tick off the checkbox indicating "not applicable" on the declaration form.

Declaration relating to attestation II.2.6.3. on the EU certificate

The exporter must confirm that for live aquatic animals, arrangements have been made from the time of loading at the establishment of origin until the time of arrival in the Union, that the animals in the consignment are not transported in the same water or for container or well-boat together with aquatic animals which are of a lower health status or which are not intended for entry into the European Union

If not exporting live aquatic animals, then tick off the checkbox indicating "not applicable" on the declaration form.

Declaration relating to attestation II.2.6.4. on the EU certificate

The exporter must confirm that for live aquatic animals, arrangements have been made, where a water exchange is necessary in a country, territory, zone, or compartment which is listed for entry of the particular species and category of aquatic animals into the European Union, that:

If not exporting live aquatic animals or not exporting live aquatic animals in water, then tick off the checkbox indicating "not applicable" on the declaration form.

Additional transportation requirements relating to attestations II.2.6.1. - II.2.6.4.

When aquatic animals are transported to the EU in water:

General transport requirements:

Declaration relating to attestations II.2.7. and II.2.7.1. on the EU certificate

The exporter confirms that arrangements have been made to identify and label the means of transport or containers with a legible and visible label on the exterior of the container or an entry in the ships manifest when transported by well boat, which clearly links the consignment to the animal health certificate.

Declaration relating to attestation II.2.7.2. on the EU certificate

The exporter confirms that for live aquatic animals, arrangements have been made that the legible and visible label on the master carton will contain at least the following information:

Declaration relating to attestation II.2.7.3. on the EU certificate

For non-live products, arrangements have been made that the legible and visible label on the master carton will contain at least one of the following statements:

Additional requirements for all wild live molluscs and live aquaculture animals (finfish, molluscs, crustaceans)

Exporters of live wild molluscs or live aquaculture animals (finfish, molluscs, crustaceans) of EU listed or vector species that are being exported for further processing in the EU must have an Inspection by a CFIA Veterinary inspector within 72 hours prior to export.

The above animal health declarations must be part of the applicant/exporter's preventive control plan or export control plan. The declarations must be identified in the plan indicating who will be in charge, how the requirement will be implemented and documented in the plan. The exporter must indicate when the lot will be available for inspection and where it will be available for inspection.

Information on TRACES Certificates

To complete part I of the certificate, it is strongly recommended to work closely with your importer in the EU to ensure the information declared on the certificate matches that of the common health entry document (CHED) generated by the importer. Refer to Regulation (EU) 2020/2235 for more information.

Additional information on how to complete Part I

Box I.1. Consignor

Box I.2. Certificate reference number

Box I.2.a. IMSOC reference

Box I.3. Central Competent Authority

Box I.4. Local Competent Authority

Box I.5. Consignee

Box I.6. Responsible for the consignment in EU

Box I.7. Country of origin

Box I.8. Region of origin

Box I.9. Country of destination (mandatory field)

Box I.10. Region of destination

Box I.11. Place of dispatch (mandatory field)

Box I.12. Place of destination

Box I.13 Place of loading

Box I.14. Date and time of departure (mandatory field)

Box I.15. Means of transport (mandatory)

Box I.16. Entry BCP (mandatory)

Box I.17 Accompanying documents

Note: approval numbers of establishments (cold storage warehouse, manufacturing plant, etc.) must be indicated as they appear on the applicable Third Country Establishments List per Country.

Box I.18. Transport conditions (mandatory)

Box I.19. Container No. / Seal No.

Box I.20. Certified as

Box I.21., I.22., I.23. Purpose (mandatory)

Only 1 field can be checked off:

I.21. for transit

I.22. for internal market

I.23. for re-entry

Box I.24. Total number of packages

Box I.25. Total quantity

Box I.26: Total gross weight (mandatory) / Total net weight

For Total gross weight, ensure the proper unit of measure is identified

Box I.27 Description of consignment

The following fields are all mandatory fields and must all be completed:

Part II

Part II must be completed by CFIA.

Note: certificates for live aquatic animals are only valid for 10 days once endorsed by CFIA.

For more information about TRACES NT, refer to Exporting food and animal products to the European Union.

Other information

European Union (EU) Legislation

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