Fact sheet - Feed exporters

The proposed Feeds Regulations, 2022 will impact a variety of stakeholders, including:

• single ingredient feed manufacturers and suppliers
• mixed feed manufacturers and suppliers (for example, commercial feed mills, specialty feed manufacturers, etc.)
• rendering facilities manufacturing livestock feed ingredients
• feed retail outlets
• livestock producers (on-farm feed mills)
• feed importers
• feed exporters

Feed exporters are businesses that sell single ingredient feeds and mixed feeds outside of Canada. The proposed Feeds Regulations, 2022 apply to those who manufacture, sell, import, export, or conduct interprovincial trade of feed. Depending on the nature of their business, a feed exporter may be involved in more than one of these activities.

Single ingredient feeds and mixed feeds intended for export may not need to meet a number of the requirements in the proposed Feeds Regulations, 2022. For example, feeds intended for export will not require product registration, nor will they need to meet any of the standards or labelling requirements as for domestic feeds. However, feeds intended for export will need to clearly indicate on the label that the feed is for export.

Single ingredient feeds and mixed feeds intended for export will need to meet the requirements of the importing country.

Feed exporters who also manufacture mixed feed should refer to the commercial feed mills fact sheet. Feed exporters who manufacture single ingredient feeds should refer to the single ingredient feed manufacturers fact sheet.

This fact sheet applies to you if:

• you export feed outside of Canada

New regulatory requirements that apply to you

• Hazard analysis and preventive control plans
• Licences
• Traceability and record-keeping
• Product registration
• Product labelling

Hazard analysis and preventive control plans

You must prepare, keep, maintain and implement a written preventive control plan (PCP) which will include:

• the identification and analysis of hazards associated with your feed establishment, equipment used, incoming materials, feeds, manufacturing or other processes. This would include receiving, handling or storage, and measures to prevent cross contamination
• the control measures used to prevent, eliminate or reduce the hazards identified
• preventive controls you implement to meet the regulatory requirements of the importing country

The hazards identified may not be the same as those for a feed intended for the domestic market. In cases where feeds intended for export do not meet Canadian standards, the hazard analysis and PCP should indicate the reason, the reference to the standard being used, and any information that supports that the foreign country requirements have been met. If the foreign country has no requirement for a particular standard, information that sets out the specifications for the standard, as indicated by the person in the foreign country for whom the exported feed is intended, must be included.

This is a new requirement. Please refer to the preventive feed safety controls fact sheet and hazard identification and analysis fact sheet for additional information.

Licences

You will require a licence if you are involved in the manufacturing, storing, processing, packaging, labelling or selling of a feed intended for export.

This is a new requirement. Please refer to the licensing fact sheet for additional information.

Traceability and record-keeping

You will be required to keep records of the feeds you export. This includes details of when you exported your feed. In addition, you will be required to keep records of the incoming materials, single ingredient feeds, and mixed feeds you use and where they came from, for your feeds you intend to export.

This is a new requirement. Please refer to the traceability fact sheet for additional information.

Product registration

You will not need to register feeds that are to be exported. Feeds manufactured for export do not require product registration. This is not a change from the current requirements.

Product labelling

You will be required to label your feed that is to be exported. Feeds manufactured for export will need to be labelled to clearly indicate that they are for export. No other label information is required, and labels should meet the requirements of the importing country. This is not a change from the current requirements.

Benefits

The proposed Feeds Regulations, 2022 will introduce an outcome-based and risk-based approach to feed safety and compliance through modernized regulatory requirements (hazard identification and analysis, preventive control plans, traceability and labelling requirements) and permissions (feed ingredient assessments and approvals, product registration and licences). The benefits that this new regulatory framework will provide are to:

• safeguard feed and the food production continuum
• attain the most effective and efficient balance between fair and competitive trade in the market; and
• minimize regulatory burden

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of requests received by Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to certify feeds for export. Changes in the proposed Feeds Regulations, 2022 will better align with internationally recognized feed regulatory frameworks and may provide you with easier access to international markets.

New regulations for feed intended for export require them to be made under preventive control plans. This may provide additional evidence to foreign countries that the CFIA has greater oversight for these feeds. In addition, licences give the CFIA the type of oversight that provides greater ability to negotiate feed import requirements with foreign countries while allowing the exporter to formulate and label the feed for the market it is intended for. These changes provided by the new regulations give the CFIA the ability to assure foreign countries that Canadian feeds meet quality and safety standards which maintains Canada's reputation as a supplier of safe and quality feeds.