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Animals > Imports > Policies / Procedures

Pet Food

AHPD-DSAE-IE-2001-9-5
(AH-96-PF-NAC-03)
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Commodity Characteristics:

Rawhide pet chews;
Dried pig ears;
Dried cattle ears;
Cow hooves;
Bull pizzles;
Commercially prepared pet food (including pet treats).

For the purpose of this directive, "pet food" means food intended for animal pets that are not considered as livestock under the Health of Animals Act and Regulations. In Section 2 of the Health of Animals Regulations, livestock is defined as animals of the bovine, caprine, equine, ovine and porcine species.

Procedures:

N.B. For pet food products imported from the United States, the Certain Ruminants and Their Products Importation Prohibition Regulations remain in effect until further notice.

Designated countries or regions: countries or regions which have been recognized by Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) as free of diseases of concern; with regards to BSE, countries or regions which have been recognized by the CFIA to be of negligible BSE-risk (category 1).

For the purpose of this directive, the diseases of concern for each species from which the product is derived are as follows:

For pet food containing ingredients of ruminant (bovine, ovine or caprine) origin, designated country must be free of foot-and mouth disease (FMD) and of negligible risk (category 1) for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Dried pet chews such as cattle ears, bull pizzles and cow hooves must come from countries free from foot-and-mouth disease only (BSE is not a disease of concern for these last products). For finished rawhide pet chews, there are no diseases of concern.

If the pet food contains ingredients of porcine origin, designated country must be free of foot-and-mouth disease, swine vesicular disease, African swine fever, classical swine fever (hog cholera).

If the pet food contains ingredients of avian origin, designated country must be free from Velogenic Newcastle disease and pathogenic avian influenza (fowl plague).

Rawhide Pet Chews, Dried Pig Ears, Pig Tails and Cattle Ears must be:

dried, degreased, dehaired, free of blood and dirt;
comminuted or single piece;
in final packaging or bulk;
if basted, must be in dry form.

Shipments may be subject to inspection at the first point of entry or at destination by an inspector designated under the Health of Animals Act.

Rawhide Pet Chews:

From the United States: Proof of origin acceptable to the CBSA, and a written declaration from the importer (dated, signed, and linked to the shipment being imported) stating that the finished product does not contain any hides or skins from the head of a ruminant.

Risk: Low

From any other country: Commercial Customs Invoice (CCI) specifying that the product is dried and contains no other animal product or by-product.

Risk: Low

Dried Pig Ears, Pig Tails and Cattle Ears:

From the United States: Proof of origin acceptable to the CBSA, and in the case of cattle ears, a written declaration from the importer (dated, signed, and linked to the shipment being imported), stating that the finished product does not contain, and is not derived from bovine Specified Risk Material (SRM), as defined in this directive under commercially prepared pet food.

Risk: Low

From designated countries: Official export certificate from the country of origin specifying that the product is dried.

Risk: Low

From non-designated countries: Official export certificate from country of origin stating that the product was subjected to a heat treatment of at least 70 degrees Centigrade for a minimum of 22 hours (Any other proposed treatment must be evaluated by Headquarters).

Risk: Medium

Dried Bull Pizzles and Cow Hooves for use as Pet Chews:

From the United States: Proof of origin acceptable to the CBSA, and a written declaration from the importer (dated, signed, and linked to the shipment being imported), stating that the finished product does not contain, and is not derived from bovine Specified Risk Material (SRM), as defined in this directive under commercially prepared pet food.

Risk: Low

From designated countries :Official export certificate from the country of origin specifying that the product is dried.

Risk: Low

From non-designated countries:

Cow Hooves: Official export certificate from the country of origin stating that the cow hooves have been subjected to a heat treatment of at least 140 degrees Centigrade for a minimum of 2 hours (Any other proposed treatment must be evaluated by Headquarters).

Risk: Medium

Dried Bull Pizzles: Official export certificate from the country of origin stating that the product was subjected to a heat treatment of at least 90 degrees Centigrade for a minimum of 5 hours ( Any other proposed treatment must be evaluated by Headquarters).

Risk: Medium

Commercially prepared Pet Food (including pet treats):

Cooked canned commercially prepared pet food containing animal by-products (bone meal, meat meal, blood meal, rendered animal fats, gluestock, meat, inedible meat).

From the United States: Proof of origin acceptable to the CBSA, a copy of the list of ingredients, and a written declaration from the importer (dated, signed, and linked to the shipment being imported) stating that (1) there are no ingredients derived from bovine animals in the pet food, OR (2) the bovine ingredients in the pet food are not derived from Specified Risk Material (SRM), OR (3) the bovine animals from which the pet food ingredients are derived from originated in Canada or a country considered to be of negligible BSE-risk by the CFIA (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, New Zealand or Uruguay).

Risk: Low

From countries recognized to be of negligible BSE-risk by CFIA (category 1): CCI describing that it is commercially cooked sterile canned product.

Risk: Low

From countries Not recognized to be of negligible BSE-risk by CFIA (category 2 and 3): Case by case evaluation, a permit will be issued by Headquarters only after the successful completion of a risk assessment. The attached questionnaire (Annex 1) must be completed and submitted with the permit application. No permits will be issued in cases where the exporting/processing pet food facility receives, stores or processes bovine Specified Risk Material (SRM) and/or rendered material from any other ruminant from countries not recognized to be of negligible BSE-risk by the CFIA (category 2 and 3). For the purpose of this directive, SRM consists of:

the skull including the brain, trigeminal ganglia and eyes, the spinal cord and vertebral column (excluding the vertebrae of the tail, the transverse processes of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, and the wings of the sacrum) of bovine animals aged 30 months or older;
the small intestine and tonsils from bovine animals of all ages.

Commercially prepared pet food in bulk or final packaging other than cooked canned:

Risk: Low

From designated countries also of negligible BSE-risk (category 1): Official export certificate from the country of origin describing the product and a copy of the list of ingredients.

Risk: Low

From non-designated countries but of negligible BSE-risk (category 1): import permit pursuant to Section 52.2; OR, in the event that an import permit does not accompany the shipment, the shipment is accompanied by official certification attesting to acceptable processing (as determined by Headquarters).

Risk: Medium

From non-designated countries of controlled or undetermined BSE-risk (category 2 and 3): Case by case evaluation, a permit will be issued by Headquarters only after the successful completion of a risk assessment. The attached questionnaire (Annex 1) must be completed and submitted with the permit application. No permits will be issued in cases where the exporting/processing pet food facility receives, stores or processes bovine Specified Risk Material (SRM) and/or rendered material from any other ruminant from countries not recognized to be of negligible BSE-risk by the CFIA (category 2 and 3). For the purpose of this directive, SRM consists of:

the skull including the brain, trigeminal ganglia and eyes, the spinal cord and vertebral column (excluding the vertebrae of the tail, the transverse processes of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, and the wings of the sacrum) of bovine animals aged 30 months or older;
the small intestine and tonsils from bovine animals of all ages.

N.B.: When the commercially prepared pet food contains only plant products, highly processed products, fish ingredients or fishmeal as ingredients from any country, and no other animal by-products, it may be imported if a CCI and a list of ingredients is referred to a CFIA inspector and the inspector is satisfied that is does not contain any other regulated ingredients.

Plant Products:

in final packaging for pet food, for wild bird feed or as ingredients;
from any country.
may be imported WITHOUT RESTRICTION according to the Animal Health Program of the CFIA.

Implementation:

For rendered material see respective directive.

This directive relates to Animal Health import requirements and does not remove any obligation to the Canadian importer to comply with the import requirements of other CFIA programs and/or other departments.

Annex 1

Importation of Commercially Prepared Pet Food from Countries of Controlled or Undetermined BSE-risk

Questionnaire for Risk Assessment

To: Canadian importers applying for an import permit (CLASS 3 FEES) for commercially prepared pet food.

reference: Import policy AHPD-DSAE-IE-2001-9-5

1.	Name, list of ingredients and size of containers of each types of processed pet food that you wish to import into Canada. Please join a copy all labels.
2.	What is the complete name and address of the foreign facility where your product is processed? (please include the government approval number of the facility)
3.	What kind (name) of material of animal origin is processed and/or stored in the facility?
4.	What is the species of origin of the material of animal origin that is processed/stored in the facility?
	a.	Who (name, address and government approval number) supplies this material? If they receive the raw material from another manufacturer/supplier what else is processed by the other manufacturer/supplier? Please provide copies of all relevant import certifications.
	b.	Does that manufacturer/supplier receive, store or process any ruminant material on its premises? If yes, what is the country of origin of the ruminant material? How does that manufacturer/supplier verify that the material has not contaminated and/or has not been cross contaminated with the bovine Specified Risk Material (SRM) listed below?
5.	Does the facility process or store any of the following materials:
	a.	processed animal proteins (such as meat and bone meal, meat meal, bone meal, blood meal, dried plasma and other blood products, hydrolysed proteins, poultry meal, feather meal, or any similar products)
	b.	offal, tankage, gluestock, fat, tallow, glands, edible or inedible meat.
6.	If so, what is the species of origin of this material?
7.	If the facility has discontinued processing or storing this type of material, when did they stop processing or storing them in the facility?
8.	What protein source is used in the preparation of the final products?
9.	What is the species of origin of the protein sources?
10.	If the protein source was obtained elsewhere, how is it determined that it was not cross contaminated with bovine SRM from countries not of negligible BSE-risk?
11.	What final products are manufactured in the processing facility?
	a.	Are these products exported or can they sold domestically?
	b.	Is there a difference between the products used domestically and those exported? If so, what is the difference?
12.	Where are the animal products used in the facility?
	a.	Do they have one portion of the facility that is 1) ‘’dedicated’‘ to only using certain animal origin materials or 2) cleaning and disinfecting of grinders, mixers and other equipment is performed between batches of product intended for export to Canada? If so, how is the equipment cleaned and disinfected?
	b.	If 1) is true then how do they verify that there is no cross contamination in this portion facility? Do they separate by time as to use of mammalian protein vs. non-mammalian proteins, or do they have other methods of separation?
13.	How is raw material moved around in the facility?
14.	Is certain equipment only used for certain products? If so, please specify (a facility diagram may be necessary), how the animal origin raw materials are segregated in the facility.
15.	With regard to storage and transport to and from the facility:
	a.	Are there different storage areas for incoming products; mammalian vs. non-mammalian proteins?
	b.	Are there different storage areas for finished products?
16.	What is the name of the government competent authority responsible for animal health and the competent regulatory authority which overseas (inspects and approves) the production of your product and can provide government certification?
17.	Please describe the processing treatment that the pet food undergoes in the manufacturing facility.
18.	Is the prepared pet food that you wish to import into Canada allowed in the U.S.A.? If so please provide a copy of the import permit issued by United States Department of Agriculture/Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA / APHIS).

In the case of commercially prepared pet food, please note that the CFIA is concerned in particular with certain ruminant derived products that originates from countries that the CFIA does not recognize to be of negligible BSE-risk and the possibility of cross-contamination/commingling. At this time, the only countries that the CFIA recognizes to be of negligible BSE-risk are: Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, Australia, Uruguay and Brazil (includes health certification guarantees provided by the Brazilian authorities). Importation of rendered animal proteins containing or prepared using the following bovine SRM, and/or material from any other ruminant, from countries that CFIA does not recognize to be of negligible BSE-risk is prohibited. Products that may be cross-contaminated or have commingled with such animal proteins are prohibited as well.

Specified Risk Materials (SRM):

the skull including the brain, trigeminal ganglia and eyes, the spinal cord and vertebral column (excluding the vertebrae of the tail, the transverse processes of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, and the wings of the sacrum) of bovine animals aged 30 months or older;
the small intestine and tonsils from bovine animals of all ages.

In Effect: February 22, 2006

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