7. Importation Requirements

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Animal Feed
Canada

This section provides information on the importation process (shipment, customs, licenses required, and test requirements).

7.1 Shipment Declaration

General Feed

Livestock feeds that are mixed feeds may be imported into Canada as long as the following criteria are fully met [1]:

The mixed feed has been registered by the CFIA and is labeled appropriately (using the approved product label).
The registration number is clearly indicated on the product label and on the applicable import declarations.
Conform to the applicable safety standards outlined in Section 19 of the Feeds Regulations and RG-8 Regulatory Guidance: Contaminants in Feed.
Conform to any additional import conditions related to other acts and regulations, if applicable (e.g., permit(s) to import; export certificates from the country of origin).

Note 1: The conditions for the importation of mixed feeds into Canada for feeding to livestock can be found primarily in Chapter 23 of AIRS (Residues and waste from the food industries; prepared animal fodder) and will have an HS code starting with 23-09-90-XX.
Note 2: Mixed feeds containing animal origin ingredients may be subject to additional import requirements as described in the Terrestrial Animal Products and Byproducts: Import Policy Framework. Animal origin ingredients include all ingredients of livestock feed that are derived from aquatic or terrestrial animals, with the exception of vitamin D originating from lanolin of sheep's wool and vitamin A originating from pig fat.

Category

The category of “Mixed Livestock Feed” should comply with the shipment declaration requirements outlined in the “General Feed” Section 7.1 above.

Product

A “Mixed Livestock Feed - Supplement" product should comply with the shipment declaration requirements outlined in the “General Feed” Section 7.1 above.

7.2 Customs Procedure

General Feed

CFIA has a system to identify which customs declarations are required called the Automatic Import Reference System. Using the tariff code for the commodity, the importer can identify what requirements are needed for the importation [2].

Category

The category of “Mixed Livestock Feed” should comply with the customs procedures outlined in the “General Feed” Section 7.2 above.

Product

A “Mixed Livestock Feed - Supplement" product should comply with the customs procedures outlined in the “General Feed” Section 7.2 above.

7.3 Manufacturing License

A manufacturing license is not required for importation as the CFIA does not have a foreign recognition system in place for livestock feeds.

Imported feeds must be imported by a licence holder or the feed must be registered. Please refer to the "Licensing Guidance for the Proposed Feeds Regulations, 2022" for more information [3].

Importers must demonstrate that the imported feed has been manufactured, stored, packaged, or labeled under conditions that provide the same level of protection as if the activities took place in Canada under a PCP. It is up to the importer to determine how they will demonstrate this. It may include third-party audits, on-site visits, or other methods. Additional guidance will be provided when these requirements come into effect [4].

The importer will need a PCP that covers the activities, such as storing, packaging, labeling, processing, or selling, that they conduct with the feed once it is in Canada.