The following is provided by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has been working with the Canadian fish and seafood industry to first update and then renew their registrations in China’s Import Food Enterprise Registration (CIFER).
All Canadian fish and seafood establishment registrations have an expiry date of December 31, 2022.
UPDATE:
CFIA has been in contact with the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC) and has confirmed that the renewal option (Application for extension) is now available for fish and seafood establishments until December 31, 2022. They also confirmed that for fish and seafood establishments only, they should renew their registration first and then have until June 30, 2023, to update their CIFER profiles. CFIA is now advising fish and seafood establishments to take the following immediate actions to maintain their eligibility to export to China.
IMMEDIATE NEXT STEPS FOR INDUSTRY:
Log into CIFER and check if the “Application for extension” option is available for your establishment by clicking on the “Extend” option.
If the “Application for Extension” is available, proceed with the “Application for extension” to request renewal of your registration as soon as possible.
If the “Application for Extension” is not available, it may be due to an active “Application for modification” in the system, as the system only allows one application at a time. You can access active applications by going to Integrated Query > Application Form Query and selecting the appropriate application. There will be a “delete” button in the top left corner if the application is still under the establishment’s control to delete. If you confirm that you do not have an active “Application for modification” and you still cannot access the “Extend” option available to start an “Application for extension”, please contact CFIA at FE-AE@inspection.gc.ca.
If you have an “Application for modification” with CFIA for review and submission to GACC: CFIA will reject your application so that you may submit the “Application for extension” as soon as possible.
If you have an “Application for modification” with GACC for review and approval: Await further instructions. The CFIA has been in contact with GACC to seek a solution for these applications.
Once you submit an “Application for extension”, you must contact your local CFIA office by email to advise that a renewal request has been submitted in CIFER. In the email, establishments must provide:
- name of the establishment
- the CFIA establishment ID/registration number
- completed Application for Registration in CIFER (PDF template attached)
- completed Aquatics Conditions and Key Points (DOCX template attached – must be submitted under 4MB in size. Additional documents mentioned in checklist are not required to be submitted)
Note: when submitting your application, the name of the legal representative should be the name of the person who is legally responsible for the establishment/vessel. This is the name that is to be entered in the application and will also need to be the person who signs all documentation for CIFER.
We will continue to seek further information and clarity from China to ensure trade is not disrupted. We will continue to provide clear direction for industry and inspectors once we receive further information from GACC. We understand that this process is challenging, and we will keep industry apprised of any new developments.