Animals > Export  

Export Program

Apart from the Health of Animals Regulations, Section 69, which provides the regulatory authority, numerous factors are considered in establishing zoosanitary export agreements.

The objective of the Export Program is to ensure that only healthy animals and animal products and by-products which meet the import health requirements of an importing country are exported from Canada, and that in the case of live animals, that they are transported in a humane manner.

Under the Health of Animals Act and Regulations, livestock, poultry, animal embryos and animal semen exported from Canada must be accompanied by a health certificate issued or endorsed by a Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) veterinary inspector. The health certificate is a legal document which confirms that the sanitary requirements of an importing country have been complied with. (more...)

As a member of the Word Trade Organization WTO and North American Free Trade Agreement NAFTA, Canada must observe international trade rules, which confer both rights and obligations. It is within the CFIA’s mandate to support and enhance exports. Accordingly, the CFIA works in collaboration with clients and stakeholders to ensure that trading partners also meet the obligations of international trade agreements, as appropriate.

For export negotiation, the world is divided into five areas and for each of these areas, there is a Senior Staff Veterinarian, Export Negotiation, who is responsible for communications with their assigned countries on export issues for all commodities. Their responsibilities include initiating negotiations when appropriate; negotiating the best possible import conditions with officials of an importing country’s veterinary service; ensuring that agreed conditions of export are as practical and cost-effective as possible and that they reflect the Canadian situation; participating in missions abroad and hosting missions of foreign veterinary authorities; interpreting and providing advice on export conditions to area/regional staff and the public; and liaising with scientific staff in laboratories and elsewhere to ensure that tests being requested can be carried out and are based on the Office International des Épizooties (OIE) recommendations and/or are the most appropriate test available.

Once a veterinary health certificate is created, it is provided to the CFIA’s Area Export Offices for use and is also placed on this site (see below) for viewing for information purposes only (unless otherwise specified). Please note that although these documents were valid at the time they were placed on this site, an importing country’s requirements can change at any time. Therefore, if you wish to proceed with a particular export, it is necessary for you to contact your local CFIA’s Area Export Officers  who is responsible for responding to queries from the public and facilitating all export shipments. Please contact the Export Officer responsible for the province in which you reside or from which you are interested in exporting a commodity.