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Animals > Manuals > Accredited Veterinarian Manual  

5.0 Export to the U.S.

(Part 3 - 5.5 to 5.8)

5.5 Export to the U.S. - Sheep and Goats Under 12 Months for Immediate Slaughter

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Health Certificate
1. The export certificate HA 2185 Export Sheep and Goats for Slaughter from Canada to the United States of America and the Owner's and Exporter's Declaration must be used.
2. Sheep and goats for export must have been kept in Canada or the U.S. during the 60 days immediately preceding the date of shipment to the U.S. and, during those 60 days, Canada must have been free from foot-and-mouth disease, rinderpest, and contagious bovine pleuropneumonia.
3. The animals for export must not have been in quarantine in Canada.
4. Sheep and goats for export have been inspected and found to be free from any evidence of communicable disease and, as far as it can be determined, have not been exposed to any such disease during the 60 days immediately preceding the date of shipment.
5. The females for export must not be pregnant.
6. Sheep and goats must be less than 12 months of age when imported into the U.S.
7. Sheep and goats must have been subject to a ruminant feed ban equivalent to the requirements established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
8. The sheep and goats must not have tested positive or suspect for a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE).
9. The sheep and goats have not resided in a flock or herd that has been diagnosed with BSE.
10. The movement of the sheep and goats must not have been restricted within Canada as a result of exposure to a TSE.
11. No tests are required for sheep and goats for immediate slaughter.

Certification Procedure
12. Within the 30 days before the planned export date, an accredited veterinarian or CFIA veterinarian must examine each individual animal presented for export.
Age Determination
13. All the animals in this shipment must be under 12 months of age.
14. The determination of the age of the animals may be based on information obtained from the CLIA or ATQ databases from producer records or on the examination of the dentition of each animal by the accredited veterinarian or their designated technician. Methods for determining age on the basis of dentition are described below.
15. If a dental examination is used to determine age, it is preferable for the inspection to be conducted during the 14 days preceding export.

Note: For the purposes of certification of sheep and goats for export to the U.S., an animal is considered to be less than 12 months of age if all the deciduous incisors are present. Any sheep or goat that has shed one of the first deciduous incisor teeth is considered to be 12 months of age or older, whether or not the permanent incisor teeth have started to erupt.
References Figures for Age Determination
Small Ruminant Dentition [D]

How to Complete the Canadian Health Certificate (HA 2185)
16. The accredited veterinarian must use the most recent version of the HA 2185 export certificate.
17. In the column "AGE(MOS)(Estimated)" the actual age or an estimated age in months must be indicated. An entry such as "less than 12 months" is not acceptable.
18. The accredited veterinarian must complete the export health certificate by entering all the necessary information with the exception of the number of animals in the shipment and the seal numbers. The "Reference number" is assigned by the CFIA district office. The completed and signed health certificate and owner/exporter's declaration will be submitted to a CFIA veterinary inspector to review and, if all requirements are met, endorse it. Any incomplete export certificates will be returned to the accredited veterinarian for completion. A fee is charged for CFIA endorsement. Once endorsed, certificates are returned to the accredited veterinarian, and the owner/exporter's declaration is kept at the district office with a copy of the certificate. The health certificate is valid for 30 days from the date of examination.
19. The accredited veterinarian or their technician must, on the day of export, return to the farm and apply CFIA seals to the transporting vehicles, after verifying that only the animals listed on the export certificate are included in the shipment. A CFIA seal must be applied to every door on the trailer.
20. The accredited veterinarian or their technician must record the number of animals in the shipment and the CFIA seal numbers in the appropriate sections on the endorsed original health certificate, and initial the appropriate section. It is not necessary to repeat this information on the copies of the certificate, but veterinarians must record it on the copy kept in their offices.
21. During loading, if animals must be removed from the shipment after the health certificate has been endorsed by the CFIA veterinary inspector, accredited veterinarians should not cross out any of these animals that are listed on the health certificate. In such cases the accredited veterinarian or their technician must provide two copies of an Addendum: one copy to accompany the shipment, and one to be included in the accredited veterinarian's file. Sample copies of an addendum are available in the district offices. This is not a CFIA document and does not bear the CFIA logo. It may be used as is or printed on the veterinary clinic's letterhead. The addendum must include a description of the animals that were not loaded and their CCIA or ATQ identification numbers.
22. If the seals are broken or missing, or if they do not match the seal numbers recorded on the health certificate, the shipment will be refused entry into the U.S.
23. For sheep, the official ear tag is a tag approved by the CFIA for use in the Canadian Sheep Identification Program or, in Quebec, the ATQ tag. All tags must be clean and readable. All numbers that appear on the ear tag must be recorded on the export certificate.
24. For goats, the official ear tag is a CFIA HofA tag, which must be applied to the left ear. Goats may only be exported in this manner if the accredited veterinarian knows the birth premises of each animal being shipped. While the birth premises does not have to be included on the export certificate, the veterinarian must keep a permanent record of the premises in case of inquiry by the USDA or audit. All tags must be clean and readable. All numbers that appear on the ear tag must be recorded on the export certificate.

Note: While it is not a USDA requirement that the ear tag numbers be listed in ascending numerical order on the certificate, accredited veterinarians are encouraged to complete certificates in this manner. This practice will facilitate inspection at the U.S. port of entry and minimize delays.
25. The routing of the shipment must be based on information provided by the exporter and must include the names of the main highways to be followed in Canada and the U.S. and the name of the location where the animals were loaded in Canada.
26. An official Canadian health certificate (HA 2185) endorsed by a CFIA veterinary inspector and one copy of the certificate must accompany each export shipment. A separate health certificate must be issued for each vehicle.

Note: Each truckload constitutes one shipment; therefore, a separate original health certificate must be issued for each vehicle.
27. Before arrival at the U.S. border, the seals cannot be broken by anyone other than a CFIA inspector or a person under the inspector's supervision. If the exporter asks to transfer animals from one truck to another after leaving the farm of origin, the transfer must be performed under the direct supervision of a CFIA inspector. The CFIA inspector will issue an official letter to confirm the change in the seal numbers. The CFIA will charge a fee for this service.

Inspections at U.S. Ports of Entry
28. The animals must be presented at the U.S. port of entry by appointment. The shipment must be accompanied by U.S. Veterinary Services Form 17-29 (Declaration of Importation) and the official Canadian health certificate (HA 2185).
29. Refer to 5.1 Export to the U.S. - General for the list of land ports of entry designated as having the necessary inspection facilities for the entry of animals from Canada. Although the list was provided by the USDA, it is the exporters' responsibility to present their animals to a U.S. port of entry that has the facilities required for the unloading and inspection of such animals.
References

Link to export certificate HA 2185 and the Agent or Owner and/or Exporter's Declaration from the CFIA Web site.

A sample of the Addendum for Animals Not Included in the Shipment, which can be printed on your official letterhead, is available from your district veterinarian.

5.6 Export to the U.S. - Horses

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Health Certification
(Except for Horses for Immediate Slaughter)
1. There are two ways to certify horses for export to the U.S. In both cases, the export health certificate must be issued by the accredited veterinarian who inspected the animal(s). All the horses must be individually identified, and all requirements as listed on the export certificate must be fully met.
2. The export certificate HA 1964 Veterinary Health Certificate - Export of Horses to the United States is used to certify individual animals. Horses certified on this certificate may enter the U.S. for temporary or permanent entry.
3. The export certificate HA 1963 Veterinary Health Certificate for the Export of Horses to the United States of America is used to certify shipments of more than one horse for permanent entry to the U.S., provided that:
i. all the animals are consigned by a single consignor and originate from the premises where they were inspected;
ii. all the animals are being consigned to the same destination in the same vehicle. All the horses in the shipment must be identified with "visibly numbered" back tags, mane tags, or necklace-type tags. Each horse must be numbered differently, and this number must be entered in the "Tag No." column on the HA 1963 certificate. It is recommended that this visible number be recorded on the equine infectious anaemia (EIA) test form to speed up border inspections;
iii. a copy of the most recent EIA certificate (CFIA 3937) identifying each horse must be attached to the export certificate. The laboratory reference number in the top right-hand corner of the CFIA 3937 certificate must be entered in the "EIA Laboratory Code" column on the HA 1963 export certificate;
iv. to reduce the risk of fraud after a completed certificate has left the control of an accredited veterinarian, the accredited veterinarian:
(1) signs and legibly prints or stamps his or her name at the bottom of each page of the health certificate,
(2) signs and legibly prints or stamps his or her name below the last entry, and crosses through unused blank lines,
(3) enters the total number of horses travelling under the certificate in the top right-hand corner of the front page of the certificate,
(4) refers to the instructions for foals at foot in paragraph 11. below;
v. only one truckload of horses is certified by one HA 1963 form.
4. The horses must have been in Canada or the U.S. during the 60 days preceding the date of export to the U.S.
5. The horses were inspected on the premises of origin and found to be free from evidence of contagious disease and, as far as it can be determined, have not been exposed to any such disease during the 60 days immediately preceding the date of shipment.
6. As far as it can be determined, no cases of African horse sickness, dourine, glanders, surra, epizootic lymphangitis, ulcerative lymphangitis, equine piroplasmosis, or Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis have occurred on the premises of origin or on adjoining premises during the 60 days preceding the date of shipment.
7. The horses must not have been in a country affected by contagious equine metritis during the 12 months preceding the date of export. Horses of U.S. origin that met Canadian import requirements, are exempt from this requirement.
8. Some states have additional requirements, such as the need for an import permit or Coggins certificate. Exporters are responsible for determining whether any of such requirements apply and for complying with them.

Certification Procedure
9. All horses (except foals born after their dam was tested and are accompanying their dam) must test negative to an officially approved test for EIA within the 180 days before entry to the U.S.
10. All horses (except foals born after their dam was tested and are accompanying their dam) must test negative to an officially approved test for EIA within the 180 days before entry to the U.S.
11. Foals born after the mare has been tested for EIA are exempt from the EIA test requirement, provided that they accompany their dam. To ensure that every animal in the shipment is properly identified, the accredited veterinarian must:

a. describe the foal on a separate HA 1964 form and indicate that the EIA test date is the same as for the dam; and on the dam's certificate must write "plus foal at foot, born ________." The description should be sufficient to identify the foal.

b. on the HA 1963 multi-horse certificate, describe the foal by linking it to its dam by her visible number and EIA certificate code. Date of birth must be included.

How to Complete the Canadian Health Certificates
12. The accredited veterinarian must use the most recent version of the export certificate.
13. The descriptions and marks indicated on the HA 1964 and the description indicated on the HA 1963 must match those indicated on the EIA test document (CFIA 3937). The animal's marks must be indicated in red on the export certificate and described in the appropriate sections. The physical description includes marks, scars, brands, tattoos, whorls, cowlicks, etc.
14. The date on which the horses were inspected on the premises of origin must be indicated.
15. The date on which the blood sample for the EIA test was taken and the date on which the laboratory result was obtained must be indicated. The export certificate must not be signed by the accredited veterinarian before negative EIA results are received.
16. The HA 1964 export certificate may be used more than once if the "Temporary" box is checked off and each entry is made within 30 days of the date of inspection. The exporter/importer retains the original of the certificate and presents it to Customs each time the horse crosses the border. As Customs officers often want to keep a copy of the certificate, it is advisable to make photocopies if the animal will be making several border crossings.
17. The HA 1964 and HA 1963 export certificates are valid for entry to the U.S. for 30 days from the date issuance of the export certificate by the accredited veterinarian, provided that the EIA test is valid on entry to the U.S. (negative result within the preceding 180 days).
18. The completed certificate will be submitted to a CFIA veterinary inspector to review and, if all requirements are met, endorse. The "Reference number" is assigned by the CFIA district office. Any incomplete export certificates will be returned to the accredited veterinarian for completion. A fee is charged for CFIA endorsement.

Inspections at U.S. Ports or Entry
19. Horses certified on the multi-horse certificate HA 1963 must be presented for inspection to the USDA veterinarian at the port of entry. All copies must be legible.
20. Horses certified with export certificate HA 1964 entering the U.S. for a temporary stay (a period of 30 days or less after their inspection by the accredited veterinarian) are inspected at ports of entry by U.S. Customs officials; however, horses certified with HA 1964 entering the U.S. for a permanent stay (longer than 30 days after their inspection by the accredited veterinarian) require USDA veterinary inspection upon entry.
21. When horses are presented for permanent entry to the U.S., the USDA veterinary inspector retains the original of the certificate.

Return/Entry to Canada
22. Horses entering Canada from the U.S. are inspected by Canada Border Services Agency officials as long as their paperwork is in order. Under certain circumstances-such as a disease outbreak in the U.S.-veterinary inspection may be required. Horses can return to Canada at any port of entry.
23. The CFIA conducts a border inspection in the following situations:
  • Horses have been imported to the U.S. from a third country and presented for import into Canada less than 60 days after their arrival in the U.S.;
  • Horses entering Canada are in transit to another country;
  • Horses being imported for immediate slaughter.
24. Horses can return to Canada accompanied by the HA 1964 certificate, provided that they return within 60 days of the date of entry to the U.S. This means that there must be proof of the date of entry to the U.S. (this may be in the form of a USDA import inspection certificate (VS Form 17-30) or a customs stamp, or, as a last resort, the date of endorsement of the certificate can be used as the last day in Canada). The EIA test date must be valid that is less than 180 days on re-entry to Canada.
25. The requirements for the certification of foals to enter Canada differ from the U.S. requirements. Occasionally, foals under six months of age can enter Canada without testing, but will be refused entry when returning to the U.S. because the dam's test was done after the foal was born. The USDA port veterinarian should be consulted.

U.S.-Origin Horses Returning to the U.S.
26. Horses with a USDA certificate may return to the U.S.:
  • without veterinary inspection, if they return to the U.S. within 30 days of the date of issuance indicated on the certificate;
  • with USDA veterinary inspection, if they return to the U.S. within 90 days of the date of entry to Canada for the purposes of participating in a recognized show in accordance with 5.11 U.S.-Origin Animals Returning from a Recognized Exposition in Canada to the U.S. The EIA test must be valid upon entry to the U.S.

Horses to the U.S. for Immediate Slaughter
27. A visual inspection is performed on the horses before loading. Only horses that appear clinically healthy and fit to travel are to be certified.
28. Known EIA reactors or horses under quarantine for any disease MUST NOT be certified for export (for immediate slaughter).
29. Horses that fail to meet inspection criteria (e.g. clinical evidence of disease, impending parturition, unfit to travel) must be removed from the shipment.
30. There are NO test requirements for slaughter horses.
31. Horses MUST be consigned directly to a USDA-recognized slaughter establishment.
32. The HA 1084 health certificate is to be issued by the accredited veterinarian inspecting the animals.
33. The completed certificate will be submitted to a CFIA veterinary inspector to review and endorse it if all requirements are met. The "Reference number" is attributed by the CFIA district office. Incomplete export certificates will be returned to the accredited veterinarian for completion. A fee will be charged for CFIA endorsement.

Equine Semen to the U.S.
34. On October 20, 2000, the USDA deregulated the importation of horse semen. U.S. Customs will accept a verbal declaration concerning this product, and the traveller will not be directed to the USDA for inspection of the product.
References

Copies of export health certificates HA 1963, HA 1964 and HA 1084 can be found on the CFIA Web site.

5.7 Export to the U.S. - Cervids

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Health Certificate
1. The export certificate HA 1891 Export of Farmed Elk and Deer to the United States must be used.
2. All cervids described on the health certificate must have been captive farmed. Continuous records of animal identification and herds of residence for the animals being exported, from the time of birth until export, must have been verified. Animals born in the wild are ineligible for entry to the U.S. under this protocol.
3. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) must never have been diagnosed in the herd of origin.
4. The herd of origin must be a herd of negative status for tuberculosis and brucellosis according to the provisions of the CFIA captive ungulate program, and there must have been no direct or indirect contact between the herd of origin and any known source infected with tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis) or brucellosis (Brucella abortus).
5. The herd of origin must be located not less than 40 kilometres from any known wild population infected with M. bovis, B. abortus, or the CWD agent.
6. The herd of origin must not contain animals from any herd where tuberculosis or brucellosis has ever been diagnosed.
7. Neither tuberculosis nor brucellosis has been diagnosed on the premises of origin during the five years preceding the start of testing for export.
8. On the premises of origin, there must not be any M. bovis or B. abortus–susceptible ruminants that have not attained the status of a herd officially recognized as being free from tuberculosis and brucellosis or a herd of negative status for tuberculosis and brucellosis under the Canadian Animal Health Program for Farmed Cervids.
9. Animals for export must not be the direct offspring of any animals that have been diagnosed with CWD nor can they have resided at any time in a herd in which the disease has been diagnosed.
10. If less than one year of age, animals for export must be natural additions to the herd of origin.
11. Animals intended for export must have been included in a herd recertification test (herd of negative status), except when the animals were natural additions to the herd after the recertification test, or if the animals originated from other herds of negative status for tuberculosis and brucellosis or from U.S. Accredited Free herds.
12. During the 60 days before export to the U.S., the cervids for export and the herd of origin must have remained free from symptoms of infectious or contagious disease and, as far as it can be determined, have not been exposed to any such disease.
13. Canada must be free from foot-and-mouth disease, rinderpest, contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, and surra.

Certification Procedure
14. Tuberculosis: Within the 60 days before export, each cervid must be tested with negative results for bovine tuberculosis using the Canadian Mid-Cervical Test (MCT). Any cervid classified as a responder to the MCT is ineligible for entry to the U.S. However, if the status of all responders can be established by comparative testing or by post-mortem examination and tissue culture, negative contact animals may be considered for entry.
15. Brucellosis: Within the 30 days before export, cervids must test negative to a buffered plate agglutination test (BPAT) for B. abortus. Any animal that tests positive is ineligible for entry to the U.S. The animal must be removed from the group and test negative to a complement fixation test at a dilution of 1:5 in order for the test-negative contact animals to be considered for entry to the U.S.
16. Cervids under six (6) months of age at the time of export, when travelling at the side of their dam, are exempt from the test requirements.

How to Complete the Canadian Health Certificate (HA 1891)
17. The accredited veterinarian must use the most recent version of the HA 1891 export certificate.
18. All the cervids must be identified with an official unique individual (HofA or ATQ) ear tag, or tattoo and must also have a large readable bangle ear tag that allows the bangle numbers to be checked without offloading the animals. during inspection. The bangle tag numbers and corresponding official tag or tattoo numbers must be recorded on the official health certificate.
19. The completed and signed health certificate will be submitted to a CFIA veterinary inspector to review and, if all requirements are met, endorse. Any incomplete export certificates will be returned to the accredited veterinarian for completion. A fee is charged for CFIA endorsement. Endorsed certificates are returned to the accredited veterinarian. The health certificate is valid for 30 days from the date of examination.
20. The original and two copies of the official Canadian health certificate must be issued for each vehicle in a shipment.

Inspections at U.S. Ports of Entry
21. The animals must be presented by appointment at the U.S. port of entry. The port veterinarian will conduct a visual health examination of the cervids and verify individual identification and the information on the official health certificate.
22. Refer to 5.1 Export to the U.S. - General for the list of land ports of entry designated as having the necessary inspection facilities for the entry of animals from Canada. Although the list was provided by the USDA, it is the exporters' responsibility to present their animals to a U.S. port of entry that has the facilities required for the unloading and inspection of such animals.

Export of Cervids for Immediate Slaughter
23. Captive cervidae may be exported for immediate slaughter at USDA approved slaughter establishments without a health certificate. The USDA publishes a list of approved plants on its Web site.
References

A copy of export health certificates HA 1891 can be found on the CFIA Web site.

5.8 Export to the U.S. - Camelidae

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Health Certification
1. Export certificate HA 1940 Export of Camelidae to the United States of America must be used.
2. Camelids for export to the U.S. must be of U.S. or Canadian origin, or have been in Canada and free to move without restriction within Canada for a period of 60 days before export. If the camelids are offspring of animals imported into Canada from a country other than the U.S., New Zealand or Australia, the period of movement without restriction in Canada must be increased to 90 days before the date of export to the U.S.
3. The animals have been resident of the herd of origin in Canada for a minimum period of 60 days before export and do not originate from a premises containing ruminant or swine species that are not part of a herd recognized by CFIA to be tuberculosis free.
4. Neither M. bovis, M. tuberculosis nor B. abortus has been diagnosed clinically, by diagnostic test or by post-mortem examination, in a llama or alpaca on the premises of origin within the three (3) years preceding the issuance of the export certificate.
5. Unless at the foot of their dam, all animals being exported must be at least six (6) months of age and fully weaned at least one (1) month before shipping. Animals less than six (6) months of age and travelling at the foot of their dam must be identified on the health certificate, but do not require testing for tuberculosis or brucellosis.
6. All camelids must be permanently and individually identified. If a microchip transponder is used, an electronic reader capable of reading the microchip must accompany the animal(s) to the U.S. port of entry.
7. During the 60 days before export, camelids must have had no direct or indirect contact with any animals that are not of equivalent health status.
8. Accredited veterinarians authorized to certify camelids for export to the U.S. must, as a prerequisite, be authorized to conduct intradermal tuberculin testing at the post-axillary site. Intradermal tuberculosis testing must occur within 60 days of export to the U.S. For a description of the post-axillary test, please see 3.1 Tuberculosis Testing.
9. Deaths during pre-export: all animals over the age of six (6) months that die during the 30-day period before export to the U.S. are subject to post-mortem examination. Contact the CFIA district veterinarian in every case.
10. Animals being exported to the U.S. will be transported in cleaned and disinfected trucks directly from the premises of origin to the USDA port of entry.

Certification Procedure
11. If the animals to be exported are removed from the main herd for the 60-day pre-export isolation period, only the animals eligible for testing in this group must be tested. If the export animals remain in the main herd, all the animals in the main herd eligible for the test must be tested. This complies with the condition described in paragraph 7 above.
12. Brucellosis: Within the 30 days before export, each camelid in the group must be tested for brucellosis (B. abortus) with negative results using the buffered plate agglutination test (BPAT) or the tube agglutination test (TAT).
13. Tuberculosis: Within the 60 days before export, each camelid in the group must be tested for tuberculosis (M. bovis) with negative results using an intradermal tuberculin test at the post-axillary site. (For a description of this test, please refer to Module 3.1 Tuberculosis Testing.)
14. Upon examination before departure for export to the U.S., camelids must show no clinical signs of communicable disease.

How to Complete the Canadian Health Certificate (HA 1940)
15. The accredited veterinarian must use the most recent version of export certificate HA 1940.
16. The accredited veterinarian must complete the export health certificate by entering all required information according to the directions provided above. The "Reference number" is assigned by the CFIA district office. The completed and signed health certificate will be submitted to a CFIA veterinary inspector to review and, if all requirements are met, endorse. Any incomplete export certificates will be returned to the accredited veterinarian for completion. A fee is charged for CFIA endorsement. Once endorsed, certificates are returned to the accredited veterinarian. The health certificate is valid for a period of thirty (30) days from the date of the examination.

Inspections at U.S. Ports or Entry
17. Animals must be presented at the U.S. port of entry by appointment.
18. Refer to 5.1 Export to the U.S. - General for the list of land ports of entry designated as having the necessary inspection facilities for the entry of animals from Canada. Although the list was provided by the USDA, it is the exporters' responsibility to present their animals to a U.S. port of entry that has the facilities required for the unloading and inspection of such animals.
References

A copy of export health certificate HA 1940 can be found on the CFIA Web site.

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