Conditions for importing meat products from the United States

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• 1. Meat Inspection systems approved
• 2. Types of meat products accepted for import (based on animal health restrictions)
• 3. Additional certification statements/attestations required on the OMIC
• 4. Additional certificates (documents) required
• 5. Establishments eligible for export to Canada
• 6. Specific import and final use conditions and restrictions

1. Meat Inspection systems approved

1.1 beef, veal, farmed bison: slaughter, cutting, deboning and offal, natural salted animal intestinal casings - (BSE in US)

1.2 lamb, mutton, goat: slaughter, cutting, deboning and offal, natural salted animal intestinal casings - (BSE in US)

1.3 pork: slaughter, cutting, deboning and offal, natural salted animal intestinal casings.

1.4 horse slaughter, cutting, deboning and offal.

1.5 venison (for example, farmed deer, elk): slaughter, cutting, deboning and offal.

1.6 rabbit: slaughter, cutting, deboning and offal.

1.7 poultry and farmed feathered game: slaughter, cutting, deboning and offal.

1.8 ratites (ostrich, emus, rhea): slaughter, cutting, deboning and offal.

1.9 processing: comminuting, formulating, curing, cooking and canning.

2. Types of meat products accepted for import (based on animal health restrictions)

2.1 There are no animal health restrictions on accepted food animal species, except on all meat products derived from animals of the family Bovinae, Sheep and Goats, (see section 2.2)

The family Bovinae includes: cattle, bison and buffalo.

2.2 On July 27, 2006, the "Certain Ruminants and Their Products Importation Prohibition Regulations, No 2." came into force, consequently, all meat or meat products derived from animals of the family Bovinae, sheep and goats and things containing such meat or meat products are not allowed to enter Canada, from the United States, except

2.2.1 Meat and meat products (edible and inedible) of animals of the sub-family Bovinae (cattle, buffalo, bison), slaughtered in the United States, that were not subjected to a stunning process in which a device is used to inject compressed air or gas into the animal's cranial cavity, or to a pithing process involving laceration, after stunning of the animal, of the animal's central nervous tissue by means of an elongated rod-shaped instrument that is introduced into the animal's cranial cavity. In addition, buffalo and bison meat products may be imported if the slaughter establishment and all subsequent processing establishments are on an AMS^Footnote 1 list of approved establishments verifying eligibility of the plant to export such products to Canada;

and

the product does not contain Bovinae specified risk material. "Bovinae specified risk material" means the skull, brain, trigeminal ganglia, eyes, spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia of all animals of the sub-family Bovinae aged 30 months or older; and the distal ileum and tonsils of animals of the sub-family Bovinae of all ages.

Please see sections 3.6 and 3.8 for additional attestations required on the OMIC^Footnote 2

2.2.2 Meat and meat products (edible and inedible) derived from sheep and goat animals under 12 months of age, slaughtered in the United States, if the slaughter establishment and all subsequent processing establishments are on an AMS^Footnote 1, sheep and goats, list of approved establishments verifying eligibility of the plant to export such products to Canada - see sections 3.7. for additional attestations required on the OMIC^Footnote 2

2.2.3 Meat and meat products (edible and inedible) originating in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, New Zealand or Uruguay that are in-transit through the United States; and that are eligible for importation into Canada

2.2.4 Meat and meat products (edible) originating in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, New Zealand or Uruguay that are processed in the United States, see section 3.2. for additional attestations required on the OMIC^Footnote 2

2.2.5 Meat and meat product (edible) intended to be used for personal consumption if the weight of all the meat and meat products (derived from animals of the family Bovinae, sheep and goats) is 5 kg or less.  This exemption reduces the exemption of 20 kg or less, specified in the paragraph 3.(1)(a) of the Maximum Quantity Limits for Personal Use Exemption.

2.2.6 Meat and meat products (edible) to be transported to a community in the United States where the only practical transportation route for the meat and meat products is either a land or water route through Canada as determined by the Agency, taking into account the location of the community and the time required to transport them. See the Procedures for Handling In Bond Shipments.

2.2.7 Meat products to be transported non-stop to a cruise ship that is docked temporarily in a CFIA^Footnote 3 designated port in Canada to be used as ship's stores.  BSE related import restrictions do not apply, however the imported meat products must comply with USDA requirements for meat and meat products derived from animals of the family Bovidae, sheep and goat for the US market. See section 3.3. for required additional attestations.

2.2.8 Bovine liver and products containing bovine liver (edible and inedible) have no BSE related restrictions for importation.

2.2.9 Beef Jerky produced in Brazil and/or Argentina and packaged and labelled in the United States. See 3.11 and 4.5 for certification requirements

2.2.10 denatured inedible raw meat and meat products for pet food manufacture and pharmaceutical purposes, derived from all animal species for which the meat inspection system is approved, see sections 3 and 4 for certification requirements

3. Additional certification statements/attestations required on the OMIC^Footnote 2

3.1 For all poultry meat products

3.1.1 "The birds, the meat of which is covered by the present certificate, were subject to humane slaughter and were stunned before slaughter."

or

"The poultry products covered by this certificate are derived from fowl slaughtered by decapitation without prior electrical stunning."

or

In the case of poultry slaughtered in conformance with ritual slaughter procedures:

"The poultry products covered by this certificate are derived from birds that received (Kosher, Halal) slaughter, as based upon documentation provided by religious authorities or by (Kosher, Halal) label declaration."

3.2. For meat and meat products containing (edible) meat derived from animals of the family Bovinae, sheep and goats, originating in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, New Zealand or Uruguay that are eligible for importation into Canada and that are processed in the United States

3.2.1 "Meat products containing meat derived from animals of the family Bovinae, sheep and goats, covered by this certificate:

"contain meat derived from animals of the family Bovinae, sheep and goats, that were legally imported into the United States from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, New Zealand or Uruguay (delete as appropriate) only;"

3.3 For meat and meat products of US origin for just in time direct delivery to cruise ships anchored in designated cruise ship Canadian ports (N.B. BSE related importation restrictions do not apply)

3.3.1 "The Canadian requirements for meat products composition and labelling have been waived. The meat products covered by this certificate are intended for direct and just in time delivery to cruise ships anchored in designated cruise ship facilities in Canadian ports."

(N.B. Designated cruise ship facilities are identified in the Procedures for Handling In Bond Shipments)

3.4 For edible meat and meat products, other than bovine liver, derived from animals of the sub-family Bovinae (cattle, buffalo, bison), slaughtered in the United States, including edible veal meat

"This is to certify that the meat products covered by this certificate

were derived from animals which were not subjected to a stunning process in which a device is used to inject compressed air or gas into the animal's cranial cavity, or to a pithing process involving laceration, after stunning of the animal, of the animal's central nervous tissue by means of an elongated rod-shaped instrument that is introduced into the animal's cranial cavity and which were subject to ante-mortem and post-mortem inspections and were not suspect or confirmed BSE cases,

and

do not contain the following risk materials: skull, brain, trigeminal ganglia, eyes, spinal cord, dorsal root ganglia, vertebral column, excluding the vertebrae of the tail, the transverse processes of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, and the wings of sacrum, from bovine animals aged 30  months or older, and tonsils from bovine animals of all ages

and

the distal ileum of the small intestine from bovine animals of all ages, from the ileo-cecal junction and a minimum of 200 cm (80 inches) of the attached and uncoiled small intestine proximal to the ileocecal junction; the removal of the distal ileum was done under an FSIS verified program.

and

do not contain mechanically separated meat from the skull and vertebral column from bovine animals aged 30 months or older."

3.5 For edible meat and meat products derived from sheep and goats

The meat product covered by this certificate:

3.5.1 was derived from/contains meat product from animals that were under 12 months of age when slaughtered;

3.6 For denatured inedible meat and meat products, excluding inedible bovine liver, derived from animals of the sub-family Bovinae (cattle, buffalo, bison) slaughtered in the United States, including edible veal meat

3.6.1 "This is to certify that the denatured inedible meat and meat products covered by this certificate"

were derived from animals which were not subjected to a stunning process in which a device is used to inject compressed air or gas into the animal's cranial cavity, or to a pithing process involving laceration, after stunning of the animal, of the animal's central nervous tissue by means of an elongated rod-shaped instrument that is introduced into the animal's cranial cavity and which were subject to ante-mortem and post-mortem inspections and were not suspect or confirmed BSE cases,

and

do not contain the following risk materials: skull, brain, trigeminal ganglia, eyes, spinal cord, dorsal root ganglia, vertebral column, excluding the vertebrae of the tail, the transverse processes of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, and the wings of sacrum, from bovine animals aged 30 months or older, and tonsils from bovine animals of all ages
and the distal ileum of the small intestine from bovine animals of all ages, from the ileo-cecal junction and a minimum of 200 cm (80 inches) of the attached and uncoiled small intestine proximal to the ileo-cecal junction; the removal of the distal ileum was done under an FSIS verified program.

and

do not contain mechanically separated meat from the skull and vertebral column from bovine animals aged 30  months or older."

"The meat/meat products were derived from animals which were subjected to and passed ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection"

3.7 For denatured inedible meat and meat products derived from sheep and goats

3.7.1 "The denatured inedible meat product covered by this certificate was derived from/contains meat product from animals that were under 12 months of age when slaughtered."

3.8 For bovine liver (edible and inedible), no BSE related restrictions

3.9 For tallow which cannot satisfy conditions specified under 3.4, see 4.2

3.10 For denatured inedible meat/meat products derived from non ruminant species of animals

No additional attestations required

3.11 For beef jerky produced in Brazil and/or Argentina and packaged and labelled in the United States

"Beef jerky covered by this certificate was imported from Brazil or Argentina (delete as appropriate), under the Official Meat Inspection Certificate Number, a copy of which is attached" and complies with the conditions specified in the CFIA^Footnote 3 Animal Health Import Permit No.

4. Additional certificates (documents) required

4.1 For all shipments, (except denatured inedible meat/meat products)

4.1.1 A copy of the original certificate and other required documents, for clearance must be presented, by the importer/broker, to the National Import Service Centre (NISC).

4.2 For tallow: (beef/mutton)

4.2.1 Original report issued by an independent laboratory stating that the tallow is protein free and that it contains no more than 0.15% of insoluble impurities in weight.  The report must be positively referenced to the OMIC^Footnote 2 covering the shipment.

The original laboratory certificate must bear the following statement:

"The protein-free tallow covered by this certificate has been tested for content of insoluble impurities with the results below 0.15% in weight."

4.3 For all lots of poultry carcasses certified and labelled as graded

4.3.1 USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Poultry products grading certificate (form PY-210 (03-01)). The certificate must be positively referenced to the OMIC^Footnote 2 covering this shipment.

4.4 For inedible meat/meat products, the FSIS 9135-3 is not required, instead, the following certificates are required

4.4.1 For denatured inedible meat/meat products for pet food manufacture

for the required  attestations, see section 3.7. and 3.8 and, when applicable, additional certification on USDA/APHIS Letterhead Certification

4.4.2 For inedible meat/meat products for pharmaceutical/medicinal purposes

for the required  attestations, see section 3.7. and 3.8 and, when applicable, additional certification on USDA/APHIS Letterhead Certification

4.5 For beef jerky produced in Brazil and/or Argentina and packaged and labelled in the United States

4.5.1 Animal Health Import Permit, issued by the CFIA^Footnote 3 Terrestrial Animal Health Division.

4.5.2 A copy of the original OMIC^Footnote 2 issued by the Brazilian or Argentine competent authority under which the jerky was imported to the United States. The OMIC^Footnote 2 must contain the same attestations as if the jerky were to be imported directly to Canada, specified in the appropriate country specific conditions for importation of meat products to Canada.

4.6 For Beef Samples

All samples of beef meat and beef meat products from the US must be accompanied by an OMIC^Footnote 2 (FSIS 9135-3) same as for commercial shipments. The pertinent Animal Health attestations for the type of certified meat should also be included. Beef samples FSIS 9135-3 need not be precleared in Ottawa.

5. Establishments eligible for export to Canada

5.1 all USDA registered establishments

6. Specific import and final use conditions and restrictions

6.1 See the Export Requirements Library for possible export restrictions.