The following is provided by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Certain aquatic animals and their products are only permitted from countries with a negotiated zoosanitary export certificate. These certificates are negotiated between the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the competent authority for aquatic animal health in the exporting country.
Effective November 25, 2015, information regarding import requirements found in the CFIA’s Automated Import Reference System (AIRS) will be updated to list a “refuse entry†recommendation for cases where no export certificate has been negotiated.
Previously, if a zoosanitary export certificate had not been negotiated, import conditions intended to initiate negotiations were listed in AIRS. This applies to the Harmonized Item Description and Coding System Other Government Department (HSOGD) codes for susceptible species under the following HS Codes: 03.01, 03.02, 03.03, 03.06 and 03.07.
Aquatic animal import requirements are in place to protect Canada’s aquatic animal resources.
This change does not affect aquatic animals or products being imported into Canada from countries that have already negotiated a zoosanitary export certificate.
Stakeholders who wish to import products from countries that do not have a negotiated zoosanitary export certificate should contact the CFIA’s Centre of Administration to request that negotiations begin.
Additional information can be found on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website
Contact the CFIA’s Centre of Administration by email at permission@inspection.gc.ca or by phone at 1.855.212.7695 or 613.773.0801