2025-08-29
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has updated import procedures for animal products and by-products that have undergone taxidermy in another country.
Zoosanitary export certificate
For taxidermied animals from countries evaluated by the CFIA for the import of animal products and by-products, a zoosanitary export certificate will be required, stating that an official veterinarian of that country has examined the taxidermied animal and/or supervised its taxidermy procedure. This wording will be published in AIRS on September 11, 2025. There will be a 3-month transition period to allow any shipments that have already left the country of origin to enter Canada, ending December 11, 2025. After that date, if the shipment from one of the countries above is not accompanied by a zoosanitary export certificate, it will be ordered removed from Canada or disposed of, at the importer's expense.
Each shipment must be accompanied by a zoosanitary export certificate endorsed by an official veterinarian of the country of origin attesting to the following conditions:
- The item has been either (strike out as appropriate):
- Prepared by a company or individual under the supervision of the competent veterinary authority, using a method approved by the competent veterinary authority, OR
- Inspected by the official veterinarian and, in their professional opinion, has been sufficiently prepared to mitigate all diseases of concern to which the species is susceptible
- The item is clean and free of visible dirt, blood, untreated tissue and residue
- Every precaution was taken to prevent cross-contamination of the finished item with any animal origin product or by-product derived from animals of a lesser zoosanitary status.
- The item has been packaged to eliminate the risk of cross-contamination, in containers that are either new, or cleaned and disinfected. Either final or bulk packaging is acceptable.
Inspection
For imports from countries that have not been evaluated and do not appear in the link above, the taxidermied item must be inspected at the first point of entry by a CFIA inspector. This must be arranged ahead of time by contacting the CFIA district office closest to the point of entry into Canada (see link in the conclusion section).
If the items are dirty or contaminated with blood, feces, ectoparasites, soil, or plant material (e.g. straw, hay, seeds) or incompletely prepared (not ready to display indefinitely), they will be ordered removed from Canada or disposed of, at the importer's expense.
"Complete taxidermy treatment" mitigates all diseases of concern to the CFIA, and comprises the four following steps:
- skinning (removing the skin, being careful to keep it intact) and removal of as much flesh as possible, as well as part or all of the skeleton;
- tanning the skin to soften it for mounting and to chemically protect it to make it impervious to decay;
- creating the mannequin – a structure serving as a form (in wood, metal or plastic) to replace the flesh and muscles; and
- mounting the skin on the mannequin to recreate the original appearance of the animal.
The entire container will be examined to ensure that there are no items that could have contaminated the fully taxidermied trophy items after their taxidermy treatment, such as raw hides, dirt, etc.
Conclusion
If you have any questions about these changes, please contact the Animal Products and By-Products Import inbox at APABPImport@inspection.gc.ca. For routine inquiries, your local CFIA office continues to be your first point of contact.