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Shipments of Semen and Embryos Arriving with a Compromised Seal

TAHD-DSAT-IE-2010-11-2
October 1, 2010

Amendment: CFIA National Policy, #2 was amended.

Revision to import permit

The tanks, containers, cages, or vehicles used to transport the animal(s) or thing(s) to Canada must be sealed by the certifying inspector in the country of origin in a manner to preclude opening. The seals can only be removed under the supervision of an inspector designated under the Health of Animals Act. Shipments of semen and embryos arriving with seal requirements that are compromised will be investigated and dealt with according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) National Policy.

CFIA National Policy

  1. Shipments that are found in secure control facilities (Customs or Bonded Warehouse), upon arrival in Canada with a compromised seal, shall be sealed with an official Canadian authority seal and must be sent under detention to the consignee for storage. The CFIA district where the shipment proceeds must be informed before movement and must assume responsibility after arrival.
  2. The exporter must supply official documentation explaining how the shipment was handled from the time of sealing to the point of time where it was placed into official control of a Central Competent Authority in the exporting country (agriculture, customs, or veterinary authority) for export. The authority must supply confirmation that, to the best of their knowledge, the seal was intact at the time of receipt, prior to the shipment departing from the country of origin. The documentation required must be recognizable as being issued by a Central Competent Authority, and it must be signed, dated, and must reference the shipment.
  3. Shipments may only be opened and examined when documents described above are received and accepted by the CFIA. A full audit on the contents of the shipping container must be conducted in the presence of a CFIA veterinarian, and the contents found must match the information on the health certificate, produced for export purposes, in order for the goods to be considered eligible for admission to Canada.
  4. Shipments that cannot meet the above conditions will be ordered removed from Canada.
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