Canada: New health-of-animals regulations for imports of aquatic animals
Description
On December 22, 2011 the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced that it had amended the Health of Animals Regulations with respect to the importation of aquatic animals (finfish, molluscs and crustaceans). Effective December 10, 2011, there are new requirements for importations into Canada of all aquatic animals listed in Schedule III of the Health of Animals Regulations. The CFIA's Stream of Commerce Policy nonetheless allows for a one-year transition period (i.e., to December 10, 2012) after which the import permit requirements will be enforced. During the transition period, compliance actions will be on an educational basis only. The new importation requirements for aquatic animals (finfish, molluscs and crustaceans) are described on the CFIA Web site.
The major changes for importers are summarized as follows:
- Species listed in Schedule III of the Health of Animals Regulations will require an import permit and/or a zoosanitary certificate.
- There are exemptions from permit and certificate requirements for certain species of finfish when they are imported as personal pets and meet the requirements described in the Health of Animals Regulations.
- Some of the Schedule III listed finfish (dead, not eviscerated), crustaceans, and molluscs for personal use are also exempt from permit or certificate requirements, subject to quantity limits and other conditions described in the Health of Animals Regulations.
- The CFIA will now require that all species not listed in Schedule III also be identified by their taxonomic (scientific) names on the documentation accompanying the aquatic animals imported into Canada. This requirement as well as additional new information required by the CFIA is described in section 194 of the Health of Animals Regulations.
In order to facilitate trade and admissibility decisions, importers are advised to report scientific names of all imported aquatic species in the commodity description field of the Canada Customs Invoice (Form CI1) or commercial invoice, either electronic or paper. The scientific names of most species in Chapter 3 of the Customs Tariff intended for human consumption can be found on the CFIA's Fish List. The following Web sites are sources of scientific names and information on aquatic species:
- FishBase: www.fishbase.org
- World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS): www.marinespecies.org/.
In addition to Chapter 3 of the Customs Tariff, fish, molluscs and crustaceans are to be classified in Chapter 5 under the subheading 0511.91, when the commodity is bait (dead), as well as other products of fish, molluscs, crustaceans and dead animals of Chapter 3, unfit for human consumption. Note that the specification of scientific names when reporting species under these tariff classifications to both the CFIA and the CBSA will help to ensure that aquatic animal health import requirements are met.
Importers may use the Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN) of the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) to report scientific names of species. TSNs can be found directly on the ITIS Web site. The Web sites, FishBase and WoRMS, link directly to ITIS. TSNs can also be found on the CFIA's Fish List.
Additional requirements for commodity descriptions on the commercial invoice are described in Memorandum D1-4-1, CBSA Invoice Requirements.
Inquiries related to this notice may be directed to:
Canada Border Services Agency
Food, Plant and Animal Program
150 Isabella Street, 5th floor
Ottawa ON K1A 0L8
Email: FPA-AVA@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca.
Any Evidence-Based Deliberation:
| Question | Result |
|---|---|
| Is there anything in the public record to suggest that evidence of the effectiveness of the proposed measure was considered during official deliberations? | |
| Is there any evidence that alternatives to the proposed measure were considered? | |
| Is there anything in the public record that suggests that empirical evidence informed the comparison across the alternatives available to government? | |
| Was such evidence identified? | |
| Is such evidence publicly available? | |
| Did the official decision-maker in question provide an explanation as to why a chosen measure was favoured over alternatives? | |
| Is there any evidence to suggest that potentially affected trading partners were consulted before the measures were taken? | |
| Is there any evidence that safeguards have been put in place to ensure that implementation of the initiative is transparent and non-discriminatory? | |
| Did the government state its intention to review the measure within one year of implementation? |
Date Discovered:
Implemented: Yes
Date of inception: 10 Dec 2011
GTA Evaluation: Amber
Source:
See the hyperlinked material in the description.
Government Response:
- 196 reads
