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Milk and Regulated Milk Products - Import Procedures

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AIED-DIEA-IE-2001-4-7
March 3, 2016

Amendments: Clarifying language on what is an "ingredient". Global Affairs Canada weblinks added. Minor editing on applicable legislation.

Commodity characteristics

Milk and regulated milk products as per the Health of Animals Regulations are:

In concentrated, dried, frozen or reconstituted or fresh form, but does not include single type (homogeneous) milk proteins, milk sugars and milk enzymes when for human consumption.

Milk enzymes include:

Milk proteins include:

Milk sugars include:

Procedures

All commodities must fully comply with the applicable Food and Drugs Act and the Food and Drug Regulations, as well as Canada Agricultural Products Act and the Dairy Products Regulations, and any associated legislation and regulations when the product is for human consumption. This includes the requirement to have an equivalent system to Canada's, as determined by CFIA.

1. Milk and milk products as ingredientsFootnote 1 of a food product from any country, for any end use (except for livestock feed)

No animal health restriction

2. Milk and milk products imported from U.S.A.Footnote 2 if for human consumption

Proof of origin - such as CCI or labelling is required

Note

If product is not for human consumption other conditions apply. All dairy products including milk and milk products and other dairy products, as such or as ingredients that are destined for animal feed are regulated. See section 4 below.

3. Milk and regulated milk products (as such) for any use except for livestock feed:

All must fully comply with the applicable Food and Drugs Act and Regulations, as well as the Dairy Products Act and Regulations, including the requirement to have an equivalent system to Canada's, as determined by CFIA.

3.1 From countries recognized by CFIA as free of foot-and-mouth disease.

Official zoosanitary export certificate which clearly describes the product and the country of origin of the animals from which it is derived.

3.2 From countries which CFIA has knowledge of the inspection infrastructure (source of the zoosanitary export certificate) and which is not recognized by CFIA as free of foot-mouth-disease:

The list of countries for which CFIA has done some evaluations can be found at animal health status by country as well as countries from which commercial importation of meat products is permitted.

Note there may be overlap between the two lists.

Requires a zoosanitary export certificate which clearly describes the product and certifying that the product has been subjected to the following treatments:

that every precaution was taken to prevent contamination of the product after completion of the processing with anything of a lesser status.

For the countries listed above (not found on the list for Foot-and-Mouth Disease - Countries officially recognized by Canada as free of the disease) without a pre-existing negotiated bilateral zoosanitary certificate, the central competent veterinary authority should initiate a dialogue by sending a letter to the attention of the:

Director, Animal Import Export Division

Floor 3 E, Room 137
59 Camelot drive
Ottawa ON K1A 0Y9
Canada

Or via email to APABPImport@inspection.gc.ca

Subject line should read: Import of Milk & Milk products – certification negotiations

3.3 From countries for which CFIA has No or limited knowledge of the inspection infrastructure (source of the zoosanitary export certificate) and which is Not recognized by CFIA as free of foot-mouth-disease:

Case by case evaluation

Countries not found on the above lists, wishing to initiate a dialogue on evaluation of the inspection infrastructure by having the, the central competent veterinary authority send a letter of request to that effect to the attention of the:

Director, Animal Import Export Division

Floor 3 E, Room 137
59 Camelot drive
Ottawa ON K1A 0Y9
Canada

Or via email to APABPImport@inspection.gc.ca

Subject line should read: Request for CFIA Evaluation of Country Health Status and Veterinary Infrastructure

4. Any dairy products including milk and milk products and other dairy products, as such or as ingredients for livestock feed

Regulated as animal products under Section 53, 41(1) and not under section 34 Health of Animal Regulations:

From the U.S.A.: Proof of origin acceptable to Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA).

From recognized countries: countries recognized free of foot-and-mouth disease by the CFIA and for milk only (liquid or dry) as such, countries or part thereof must be free of brucellosis and tuberculosis.

the zoosanitary export certificate shows that the country of origin or part thereof is a designated country or the zoosanitary export certificate stating that the product has been submitted to:

In the case of milk (liquid or dry) if the country is recognized free of FMD by the CFIA but is not free of brucellosis and tuberculosis, the zoosanitary export certificate of the country of origin stating that product has been submitted to:

From countries not recognized by CFIA as free of FMD: Case by case review by Headquarters, requires an animal health import permit. An import permit will only be granted after the successful completion of a risk assessment.

Implementation

This import policy supersedes all animal health specific or general import policies, directives related to dairy products including the special E.U. measures of March 2001 and dairy import directive.

This policy relates to Terrestrial Animal Health (TAH) import requirements and does not remove any obligation to the Canadian importer to comply with the import requirements of other CFIA programs and/or other governmental departments.

Global Affairs Canada guidance documents can be found here:

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