RG-9 Regulatory Guidance
Documentation to support market access for livestock feeds – mixed feeds and single ingredient feeds

The Feeds Regulations, 2024 were published on July 3, 2024, and have replaced the Feeds Regulations, 1983. We are working to update this page and the remaining website to reflect the Feeds Regulations, 2024. As new updates and guidance continue to be released, please refer to the Feed regulatory modernization page for more information.

September 2021

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Purpose

The purpose of this regulatory guidance document is to provide information and direction to feed industry stakeholders in need of documentation from the Animal Feed and Veterinary Biologics Division (AFVBD) of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to support market access for feeds leaving Canada. This guidance document outlines the types of documents that are available for livestock feeds and provides market access information for the United States of America (US) and other markets.

Introduction

Livestock feeds that are destined for export and that are so labelled (for example, they have "For export" or "Export only" on the label) are exempt from the operation of the Feeds Act and Feeds Regulations. In other words, they are not subject to the regulatory requirements outlined in the Feeds Act or Feeds Regulations. However, for many years the AFVBD has received inquiries and requests for assistance from feed industry members regarding the issuance of domestic (Canadian) documentation to support their market access activities for livestock feeds leaving Canada and destined for other markets. These feeds include both mixed feeds and single ingredient feeds (see the regulatory definitions for "mixed feed" and "single ingredient feed" found at the end of this document for more information).

The following sections outline those documents provided by AFVBD to support market access activities for livestock feeds.

Market access documents available from the Animal Feed and Veterinary Biologics Division

Certificates of free sale

A certificate of free sale for a livestock feed is a document confirming that a livestock feed (mixed feed or feed ingredient) complies with the Canadian Feeds Act and Feeds Regulations and that the product is acceptable for free and open sale in Canada.

The certificate of free sale confirms that the product identified on the certificate meets applicable Canadian regulatory requirements, and that a license, permit or other type of permission is not required in Canada to either purchase and/or use the product.

Certificates of free sale can only be issued for mixed feeds and single ingredient feeds that are compliant with the Canadian Feeds Act and Regulations, specifically:

  • mixed feeds that are subject to registration and that have been registered by the Animal Feed and Veterinary Biologics Division (AFVBD) under the authority of the Feeds Act and Regulations (such as mixed feeds that are imported into Canada, specialty feeds such as flavouring agents and acidifiers, micro-premixes, non-standard mixed feeds, etc.)
  • registered sources of single ingredient feeds found in Part II of Schedule IV or Schedule V of the Feeds Regulations
  • mixed feeds and single ingredient feeds that are exempt from registration (for example, mixed feeds that meet the exemption from registration criteria listed in Section 5(2) of the Feeds Regulations as well as single ingredient feeds located in Part I of either Schedules IV or V of the Feeds Regulations) and
  • mixed feeds and single ingredient feeds located in Part I of Schedule IV or V of the Feeds Regulations that have been voluntarily registered

Compliant feeds are those that meet all applicable Canadian regulatory requirements, including those that apply to labelling.

Note: in the case of registered feeds (both mixed feeds and single ingredient feeds), a corrected final label must be submitted to and approved by the Pre-market Application Submissions Office (PASO) of the CFIA before a certificate of free sale can be issued for the product in question. Registered feeds that do not have a final label approved at the time the request for a certificate of free sale is received by the AFVBD will experience delays in the processing of their request for market access documentation.

A certificate of free sale cannot be issued for a mixed feed or single ingredient feed that is non-compliant with the Canadian Feeds Act or Feeds Regulations. This applies to:

  • mixed feeds and feed ingredients that do not meet the exemption from registration criteria under the Feeds Regulations and are currently unregistered (including unregistered and unapproved sources of single ingredient feeds located in Part II of Schedules IV or V)
  • mixed feeds and single ingredient feeds located in Part I of Schedule IV or V of the Feeds Regulations that are otherwise exempt from registration but that do not meet exemption criteria (for example, unapproved labelling information, additional label guarantee that has not been approved by AFVBD)
  • registered feeds (mixed feeds and single ingredient feeds) that are labelled with a label that has not been approved by the AFVBD and
  • registered and unregistered feeds (mixed feeds and single ingredient feeds) that are otherwise non-compliant with the Feeds Act and Regulations.

Feed ingredients that are not approved for use in livestock feeds in Canada (are not listed in either Schedules IV or V of the Feeds Regulations) are not eligible for a certificate of free sale because they do not meet Canadian regulatory requirements.

Letters stating the regulatory authority of the CFIA over feed manufacturers in Canada

The Animal Feed and Veterinary Biologics Division (AFVBD) may issue a letter confirming that in Canada, feed manufacturers are not issued permits or licenses to operate, nor are they registered or otherwise approved under the Canadian Feeds Act and Feeds Regulations.

The only exception is inedible rendering plants that are issued a permit to operate under the authority of the Health of Animals Act and as required by the Health of Animals Regulations.

Given that it is a regulatory requirement for renderers to be permitted in order to be compliant with the Health of Animals Regulations, the AFVBD is able to provide a letter indicating that the rendering facility in question holds a valid operating permit, should such documentation be required to support market access activities.

Types of documentation and attestations that are not supported by the Animal Feed and Veterinary Biologics Division

The following types of documents and attestations will not be issued, reviewed, endorsed or approved by AFVBD in support of market access activities for livestock feeds (mixed feeds and single ingredient feeds):

  • documents identified and/or referred to as an Animal Health Certificate
  • documents identified and/or referred to as a Veterinary Export Certificate and/or as a Zoosanitary Certificate
  • documents identified and/or referred to as a Sanitary Certificate
  • documents identified and/or referred to as a Certificate of Origin or Certificate of Manufacturing
  • any type of document that is required to be reviewed, signed, approved and/or endorsed by a CFIA Veterinarian or CFIA Accredited Veterinarian
  • attestations pertaining to the presence or absence of:
    • animal proteins
    • drugs (including antibiotics)
    • total PCBs, furans, dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs
    • hormones
    • radioactivity
    • pesticides
    • any other type of physical, chemical, microbial or environmental contaminant
  • statements that a product is GMO-free, that it does not contain any genetically modified organisms (or parts thereof) or that it is not derived from a genetically modified organism
  • analytical and laboratory results, certificates of analysis and/or other technical or scientific reports
  • labelling and product information not required by the Canadian Feeds Regulations or that has not been previously approved by the AFVBD during the feed registration process
  • the presence or absence of nutrients and/or compounds other than those that are guaranteed on the feed label approved by the AFVBD (for registered feeds), or in the case of products that are exempt from registration under the Feeds Regulations, those guarantees that are required to appear on the label in order to be compliant with the Feeds Regulations
  • product manufacturing information (including but not limited to raw material and product specifications, manufacturing processes and procedures, quality assurance and quality control procedures, product packaging, storage and transportation, etc.)
  • information regarding the regulatory status of a product outside of Canada
  • any other type of product information, claim, statement, promotional information, performance data, etc. that has not been approved by the AFVBD during the feed registration process

How to request documentation from the Animal Feed and Veterinary Biologics Division to support market access activities for livestock feeds

Send an email to the AFVBD's general mailbox at cfia.afp-paa.acia@inspection.gc.ca and indicate the following information in your email:

  • your full name
  • your company's full name and address
  • the mailing address you would like your documents sent to (if different than your company's address)
  • the type of market access documentation you are requesting for each feed (certificate of free sale or letter of regulatory authorities)
  • in the case of registered feeds, the registration number of each feed you are requesting market access documentation for
  • the number of copies you require for each document type
  • specify if the documents are to be in either English or French
  • the destination country or countries

If your feed is exempt from registration, include a copy of your product label as an attachment to your email message.

Market access documents available from your local CFIA Office

Letters of inspection

For facilities that are inspected under the National Feed Inspection Program, the CFIA may issue a letter indicating the date of the last inspection of the facility conducted by a CFIA Feed Inspector.

Be aware that a letter of inspection cannot be issued if the facility is not inspected under the National Feed Inspection Program.

To request a letter of inspection for your facility, contact your local CFIA Office.

Market access for livestock feeds destined for the United States

Feed industry stakeholders wanting to obtain access to the US market, see the Application for Certification of Livestock Feeds from Canada to the United States (CFIA/ACIA 5619) for details. Contact your local CFIA Office for more information on this process.

It is important to note that the focus of this particular market access activity is based on whether or not the feed(s) entering the US from Canada contain any animal products and/or by-products. As such, it is the industry's responsibility to provide proper and acceptable information and documentation demonstrating that the product(s) destined for the US meet the applicable requirements.

Additional information on US import requirements for livestock feeds can be found on the following websites:

Market access for livestock feeds destined for countries other than the United States

For information and assistance on the market access requirements for livestock feeds for countries other than the United States, interested parties can consult the following Government of Canada resources:

As is the case with feed industry members who want to obtain market access to the United States it is the responsibility of the stakeholder wanting to access these foreign markets to meet the importing country's requirements.

Market access information available via the Terrestrial Animal Health Export Program

Additional resources are available on the CFIA's website for stakeholders who require assistance regarding animal health-related market access conditions and requirements:

Note: the above-mentioned animal health export policies and export certificates are outside of the scope of the Animal Feed and Veterinary Biologics Division's (AFVBD) National Feed Inspection Program. As such, AFVBD is not involved in animal health certification activities but may provide input should any feed statements be negotiated for such certificates.

Contact the CFIA Animal Health Office in your area for assistance with animal health-related market access questions you might have.

Market access information, plant exports (CFIA)

Information on the export requirements for plants and plant products can be found on the CFIA's website. This information may be of use to stakeholders who require assistance on plant health-related market access conditions:

As with animal health-related export policies and export certificates, plant exports and phytosanitary certificates are not part of the AFVBD's National Feed Inspection Program. Consequently, AFVBD is not involved in plant export or phytosanitary certification activities but may provide input into any feed statements that are negotiated for these certificates.

Contact the CFIA office in your area for assistance with any plant export or phytosanitary-related market access questions you might have.

References

Regulatory definition of "feed" (Section 2, Feeds Act): means any substance or mixture of substances containing amino acids, anti-oxidants, carbohydrates, condiments, enzymes, fats, minerals, non-protein nitrogen products, proteins or vitamins, or pelletizing, colouring, foaming or flavouring agents and any other substance manufactured, sold or represented for use:

  • (a) for consumption by livestock,
  • (b) for providing the nutritional requirements of livestock, or
  • (c) for the purpose of preventing or correcting nutritional disorders of livestock, or any substance for use in any such substance or mixture of substances;

Regulatory definition of "mixed feed" (Section 2, Feeds Regulations): means a feed that contains 2 or more single ingredient feeds.

Regulatory definition of "single ingredient feed" (Section 2, Feeds Regulations): means any substance or mixture of substances that is assessed or evaluated as being acceptable for use in feeds and that is described in an item of Schedule IV or V.

 
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