Import Conditions for Swine Imported from the United States for Research

TAHD-DSAT-IE-2019-12-02
December 06, 2019

On this page

• Amendments
• 1. Definitions
• 2. Documentation instructions
• 3. General import conditions
• 4. Certification requirements
• 5. Inspection instructions at the border
• 6. Post-import conditions
• Appendix 1
• Appendix 2

Amendments

The following paragraph has been added in the introduction and Appendix 1:

Importer requests for other situations might also be considered by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) on a case by case basis. A written request must be submitted to the CFIA via the local district office and will be communicated to the national program specialist for assessment.

The following import conditions apply to swine imported from the United States (U.S.) for research. Under these conditions the animals are not permitted to be removed from the research/laboratory facility, they are humanely euthanized at the end of the experiment and their carcasses/body parts/tissues are disposed of by a method authorized by the CFIA district office.

If, for the purpose of the experiment, the importer needs to remove the imported swine from the CFIA approved research/laboratory facility (for example, diagnostic procedures taking place at another location such as veterinary or human hospitals), the importer must submit a written request to the CFIA, preferably at the time of application for the import permit, but requests submitted after importation will also be considered. Importer requests for other situations might also be considered by the CFIA on a case by case basis. A written request must be submitted to the CFIA via the local district office and will be communicated to the national program specialist for assessment.

The CFIA will only authorize such requests if the animals are tested for Pseudorabies (Aujeszky's Disease) and Swine brucellosis post-import and obtain negative results. Please refer to Appendix 1 for the detailed import conditions for this specific scenario.

1. Definitions

Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC)

The national organization responsible for setting, maintaining and overseeing the standards for care and use of animals in research, teaching and testing throughout Canada. More details can be found on the CCAC website.

Certificate of Good Animal Practice

A CCAC Certificate of Good Animal Practice is earned by institutions which:

• participate fully in the CCAC's programs
• have been evaluated by assessment panels composed of scientists, veterinarians and community representatives
• have been found by the panel and by the CCAC Assessment and Certification Committee to have standards of experimental animal ethics and care which satisfy the CCAC's guidelines and policies

An institution's animal ethics and care program is certified every 3 years based on compliance with CCAC policies and guidelines.

2. Documentation instructions

2.1. An import permit is required. Before its issuance, a CFIA on-site visit and approval^Footnote 1 of the research/laboratory facility where the imported swine will be housed are mandatory.

Either single entry import permits valid for 3 months or multiple entry import permits valid for 1 year are issued. Unless specific issues occurred with previous importations, the CFIA approval of the research/laboratory facilities will take place on a yearly basis for multiple entry import permits as well as for single entry permits used for frequent importations. Research/laboratory facilities that import swine from the U.S. less than once a year will be submitted to the CFIA facility approval procedure each time they apply for an import permit.

2.2. The imported swine must be accompanied by a zoosanitary export certificate of an official veterinarian of the U.S. or a veterinarian licensed in the U.S. and endorsed by an official veterinarian of the U.S.

An original zoosanitary export certificate is required for each shipment.

3. General import conditions

3.1. The importing research/laboratory facility must demonstrate that it is currently in good standing with the CCAC by including a copy of their certificate of Good Animal Practice issued by the CCAC with their application for an import permit. Any change in this status must be immediately reported to the CFIA.

3.2. Biosecurity protocols^Footnote 1 are in place at the research/laboratory facility to minimize exposure of the rest of the facility and staff to the imported swine, their waste, etc.

3.3. The import permit application will be accompanied by a brief description of the experiment: number of animals, anticipated duration, breeding or not, sample collection, sampling of body parts/tissues and use of samples and any anticipated movement of the imported swine from the facility (for example, for diagnostic purposes). The same description is required during the on-site approval^Footnote 1.

3.4. All records pertaining to the imported swine must be available for review by the CFIA upon request, including, but not limited to:

• diagnostic testing performed
• identification, date and reason for the death of the imported swine
• end-use of the histological preparations
• disposal of the litter and anything that was in contact with the imported swine
• disposal of the carcasses/body parts/tissues

3.5. Identification and movement reporting requirements for swine are in effect in Canada. Swine for scientific use are also subject to these requirements. For details, please refer to the Livestock identification and traceability webpage.

The imported swine must be identified by a non-electronic or electronic (either half-duplex or full-duplex frequency) ear tag with an official identification number following the ISO 11784, which includes the code of the country where the indicator was issued following the ISO 3166-1 numeric standard.

The other acceptable option is a sub-cutaneous microchip with an official identification number following the ISO 11784 standard, which includes the code of the country where the indicator was issued following the ISO 3166-1 numeric standard.

The accompanying export certification must correlate the unique identification number to a description detailing the animals' breed, colour, sex, age and any identifying marks, as appropriate.

3.6. Between importations, a CFIA on-site visit will be conducted before the arrival of every new shipment of swine. The CFIA veterinary inspector will verify the cleaning and disinfection as well as the condition of the premises and any changes made to the building since the last approval. The complete CFIA on-site inspection procedure required for new or yearly approvals of the facilities will not be performed between importations unless specific issues were noted/reported during previous importations, the location of the facility changed or the yearly facility approval expired.

Between importations, the importer must contact her/his CFIA district office to arrange for the on-site visit in advance of each importation.

3.7. After unloading the imported swine at the destination facility:

either, all conveyances (vehicles, containers, or other things) used to transport the imported swine must be cleaned and disinfected to the satisfaction of the CFIA district office and all litter and surplus feed must be disposed of by a method approved by the CFIA district office as described in section 6.7 of this document.

or, the vehicle must return directly to the U.S. after being sealed by the CFIA district office. The seal is verified or removed by an inspector designated under the Health of Animals Act before exiting Canada. This verification is communicated (for example by email) to the CFIA district office of origin.

4. Certification requirements

4.1. The certificate must contain the following information:

• the name and address of the exporter
• the name and address of the importer
• the import permit number
• the individual identification, species, breed, sex, and age (in months) of the animals being imported
• each animal is uniquely identified:
  • either with a National Animal Identification System (NAIS) compliant 840 non-electronic or electronic (either half-duplex or full-duplex frequency) ear tag
  • or with a NAIS compliant 840 sub-cutaneous microchip
• all states in which the swine have resided in the past 21 days are free from clinical and epidemiological evidence of vesicular stomatitis during the 21 days immediately prior to export
• the swine are from Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) stock and the herd of origin is tested according to the USDA Pseudorabies (Aujeszky's Disease) and Swine brucellosis control/eradication program
• the swine have been inspected by a veterinarian designated for such purposes by the USDA during the 72 hour period immediately preceding export to Canada and were found to be healthy and free from any clinical evidence of infectious disease and, as far as can be determined, exposure thereto. The date of the examination must be stated on the certificate
• the swine are fit to be transported without undue suffering by reason of infirmity, illness, injury, fatigue or other cause during the expected journey
• the swine were born on the premises of origin
  • For those animals derived by caesarian section, the premises of origin is defined as the premises where the caesarian sections were performed; or
  • The swine were not born on the premises of origin but were subject to early segregation and weaning and assembled and raised on the premises of origin before the age of 21 days. The premises where the swine were born were of equivalent zoosanitary status to that of the premises of origin, and met all premises and herd disease conditions stated on the import permit
• the herd of origin has been free from clinical, diagnostic or epidemiological evidence of brucellosis during the 36 months immediately prior to movement of the animal(s) off the premises
• the premises of origin and all farms within a radius of 3 kilometres have been free from any clinical, diagnostic or epidemiological evidence of Pseudorabies (Aujeszky's Disease) (excluding viral strains associated with approved marker vaccines) for a period of 12 months prior to exportation
• the swine have not come into contact with any animals, products or equipment of a lesser zoosanitary health status during the entire required periods of residency, isolation, transportation. The transporter was instructed to maintain this status throughout transport to the port of entry into Canada
• all conveyances (vehicles, containers, or other things) used to transport the swine from the premises of origin to Canada have been cleaned and disinfected

5. Inspection instructions at the border

5.1. The shipment and documentation for importation must be presented to an inspector designated under the Health of Animals Act at the first port of entry.

5.2. The containers, cages or vehicles used to transport the imported swine must be sealed at the port of entry by an inspector designated under the Health of Animals Act in a manner to preclude opening. The shipment may then proceed under licence to the CFIA-approved research/laboratory facility. The seals must be removed under the supervision of an inspector of the CFIA district office.

6. Post-import conditions

6.1. The facility of destination must have been inspected and approved^Footnote 1 by a CFIA veterinary inspector prior to importation of the swine.

6.2. At their arrival at the research/laboratory facility, the imported swine will be put in quarantine^Footnote 2 in an approved room(s) where they will be maintained until the end of the experiment.

6.3. The imported swine may be moved to another room if precautions are taken to ensure that they do not encounter other animals in the corridors. Biosecurity procedures must be applied in both the corridors and the rooms used (for example, cleaning and disinfection after use).

6.4. The imported swine, all subsequent progeny and any tissues of these animals, other than those in final histological preparations, must never be removed from the approved premises without the written authorization of the CFIA. All carcasses of imported swine that die must be disposed of in a manner that prevents their entry into the food chain.

6.5. The carcasses/body parts and tissues (other than those in final histological preparations) must be autoclaved, incinerated or alternatively disposed of under the supervision of an inspector of the CFIA. An assessment based on the type of tissue/body part, use and destination will be carried out by the district office. Carcasses can be treated like biomedical waste.

Notes:

• the CFIA district office may grant general authorization for the removal from the approved premises of body parts/tissues from the imported swine where no risk is involved (for example, histopathological preparations)
• transportation for disposal will require CFIA licence

6.6. The CFIA district office must discuss with the importer the disposal of bedding, surplus feed, manure, etc. and the method of disposal must be approved.

Examples of acceptable disposal:

• disposal with biomedical waste
• incineration or burial at a site approved by the CFIA for international waste
• disposal in the municipal sewage treatment system

Examples of unacceptable disposal:

• reuse
• contact with other animals
• disposal in sewers not connected to a sewage treatment system

6.7. The CFIA may ask to see the records of the experiment. In these cases the following points should be summarized for the CFIA at the end of the experiment or at another time if circumstances warrant:

• identification, date and cause of death of each imported swine
• body parts or other specimens sampled from the imported swine and their ultimate use
• disposal of the bedding and other objects in contact with the imported swine
• disposal of the carcasses/body parts/tissues of the imported swine

6.8. During the quarantine^Footnote 2 period, CFIA announced visits will be conducted at least once a month. The health status of the imported swine (with respect to foreign animal diseases, mortality rates, etc.) will be verified, as well as the enforcement of the biosecurity protocol and record keeping.

Appendix 1

Swine imported from the United States for research and permitted by the CFIA to be removed from the research/laboratory facility under specific conditions

If, for the purpose of the experiment, the importer needs to remove the imported swine from the CFIA approved research/laboratory facility (for example, diagnostic procedures taking place at another location such as veterinary or human hospitals), the importer must submit a request to the CFIA, preferably at the time of application for the import permit, but requests submitted after importation will also be considered. Importer requests for other situations might also be considered by the CFIA on a case by case basis. A written request must be submitted to the CFIA via the local district office and will be communicated to the national program specialist for assessment.

The CFIA will only authorize such requests if the imported swine are tested for Pseudorabies (Aujeszky's Disease) and Swine brucellosis post-import and obtain negative results. After the imported swine have obtained negative results on all required tests and the minimum quarantine period has been met, the quarantine can be released and no further restrictions will apply.

For this scenario, Sections 1-5 of the main document also apply. Only certain post-import conditions differ.

Post-import conditions

1. The imported swine must be quarantined^Footnote 2 at the CFIA pre-approved research/laboratory facility and the following conditions apply:

1.1. The research/laboratory facility has been inspected and approved^Footnote 1 by a CFIA veterinary inspector.

1.2. In order to be allowed to leave the research/laboratory facility, the imported swine must be quarantined^Footnote 2 for a minimum of thirty (30) days after their arrival and obtain negative test results for Pseudorabies (Aujeszky's Disease) and Swine brucellosis. The samples for required testing must be taken a minimum of twenty-one (21) days after the commencement of quarantine^Footnote 2 at the research/laboratory facility.

1.3. The imported swine may be moved to another room if precautions are taken to ensure that they do not encounter other animals in the corridors. Biosecurity procedures must be applied in both the corridors and the rooms used (for example, cleaning and disinfection after use)^Footnote 3.

1.4. The imported swine, all subsequent progeny and any tissues of these animals, other than those in final histological preparations, must never be removed from the approved premises without the written authorization of the CFIA and carcasses of imported swine that die, must be disposed of in a manner that prevents their entry into the food chain^Footnote 3. The carcasses/body parts and tissues (other than those in final histological preparations) must be autoclaved, incinerated or alternatively disposed of under the supervision of an inspector of the CFIA^Footnote 3.

1.5. The CFIA district office may grant general authorization for the removal from the approved premises of body parts/tissues from the imported swine where no risk is involved (for example, histopathological preparations). For other body parts/tissues an assessment based on the type of tissue/body part, use and destination will be carried out by the district office^Footnote 3.

1.6. Carcasses will be treated like biomedical waste but a CFIA licence will be required to transport them^Footnote 3.

1.7. The CFIA district office must discuss with the importer the disposal of bedding, surplus feed, manure, etc. and the method of disposal must be approved^Footnote 3.

Examples of acceptable disposal:

• disposal with biomedical waste
• incineration or burial at a site approved by the CFIA for international waste
• disposal in the municipal sewage treatment system

Examples of unacceptable disposal:

• reuse
• contact with other animals
• disposal in sewers not connected to a sewage treatment system

1.8. The CFIA may ask to see the records of the experiment. In these cases the following points should be summarized for the CFIA at the end of the experiment or at another time if circumstances warrant:

• identification, date and cause of death of each imported swine
• body part or other specimens sampled from the imported swine and their ultimate use
• disposal of the bedding and other objects in contact with the imported swine
• disposal of the carcasses/body parts/tissues of the imported swine

1.9. During the quarantine^Footnote 2 period (from arrival at the facility until negative test results have been obtained), CFIA announced visits will be conducted. The health status of the imported swine (with respect to foreign animal diseases, mortality rates, etc.) will be verified, as well as the enforcement of the biosecurity protocol and record keeping. A final on-site visit will take place when negative test results have been obtained and the imported swine are released from quarantine^Footnote 2.

Appendix 2

Inspection checklist for the approval of research/laboratory facilities to quarantine swine imported from the United States for research