In order to be compliant with the Service Fees Act (SFA), the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will begin adjusting its fees based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) starting March 31, 2020, and on every March 31 going forward.
Refer to the CFIA Fees Notice for current fees. Learn more about adjusting service fees for inflation.
The proposed Fees Notice is part of the consultation on the new licensing regime and other follow-on amendments to the CFIA Fees Notice [The consultation closed 2018-09-07].
Refer to the CFIA Fees Notice for current fees.
General information
Q: Why is CFIA updating the Fees Notice at this time?
The CFIA is looking to make changes to the Notice to align its language and authorities with the new set of authorities under the Safe Food for Canadians Act and Safe Food for Canadians Regulations. For example, the Notice contains references to current Acts and Regulations (for example Meat Inspection Act, Fish Inspection Act) that will be repealed and replaced by the Safe Food for Canadians Act and Regulations. The service descriptions in the current Notice are being updated to reflect the regulatory changes.
Q: How does this update relate to the Cost Recovery Initiative that the CFIA consulted on in winter 2017?
This consultation stems from the need to align the language in the Notice with the Safe Food for Canadians Act and Regulations. In particular, references to legislation that will be repealed once Safe Food for Canadians Act and Regulations are in force need to be replaced.
This is separate from the broader cost recovery restructuring proposal that the CFIA publicly consulted on from January 2017 to April 2017 which focused on the current cost recovery regime. That proposal included replacing the existing 1200 fees with new streamlined service categories, introducing service standards and revisiting the appropriate level of cost-sharing between industry and taxpayers.
Q: Will the CFIA be consolidating fees for all food into a single set of fees that are equivalent across the different food commodities?
No. This consultation is only about the changes needed to incorporate the language and authorities in the Safe Food for Canadians Act and Regulations into the Notice.
Q: Based on the proposed changes, what is the main difference between what I will pay once the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations comes into force and what I pay now?
The CFIA is proposing that minimal changes be made so that costs remain stable for stakeholders. The proposal maintains, to the extent possible, the current charges. The changes aim to:
- align the definitions and authorities with those in the Safe Food for Canadians Act and Regulations
- introduce a common licensing regime, with a related $250 charge for a licence and changes to the current registration scheme
- remove some charges that are outdated or will no longer be applied
Licensing and establishment inspection fees
Q: Will there be a cost for a licence under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations?
Yes. There will be a charge of $250 to obtain a licence under the Safe Food for Canadians Act and Regulations. This licence will be valid for 2 years.
Most registrations and licences that are currently issued by the CFIA will remain valid until they expire, at which time you will need to get a licence under the SFCR.
Q: I am currently a food business that is from the non-federally registered sector. Will I be charged for requested services?
Yes, you will be required to pay $250 when you request your licence.
Q: When I request a licence under the Safe Food for Canadians Act and Regulations, what happens to the cost of my licence if my business operates seasonally, or for a period less than 2 years?
The $250 for the licence will be charged when the licence is issued. Your licence will remain valid for 2 years from the date it is issued. This period cannot be changed based on periods when an operation is inactive. The charge for a licence will not be pro-rated or refunded.
Additional information on licensing
Q: Why are the charges for registration proposed to be charges for establishment inspection in the proposed amendments?
With the introduction of a common licensing regime through the Safe Food for Canadians Act and Regulations, the CFIA will no longer be registering establishments. Current charges for registration are linked to the volume of production (for example registrations for a dairy establishment) or product processed (registrations for a fish and seafood processing establishment) to reflect the level of inspection conducted by the CFIA. As the registration framework will not be continued under the SFCR, the CFIA is proposing to update the description to reflect the link to establishment inspection, similar to what currently exists for some commodities (for example eggs).
Q: Under the proposed amendments, how often will I be charged for establishment inspection?
The CFIA does not intend to change how often industry is charged for establishment inspections. If you pay annually for registration under the current regime, under the proposal you will be charged for establishment inspection in full following the first inspection that takes place in a given year, each year your SFCR licence is valid.
Q: If I list more than 1 establishment on a single licence, will I, the licence holder, be charged for inspection at each establishment?
Yes. Establishment inspection will be charged per establishment as it is today.
Q: Under the proposed changes, what happens to my costs if my establishment operates for less than 12 months per year?
The cost of $250 for your licence cannot be pro-rated or adjusted based on your establishment's operations. The licence is valid for 2 years. However, for some commodities (for example dairy) the charges for establishment inspection can be pro-rated for the number of months that you operate.
Other changes to the Fees Notice
Q: What are the charges that the CFIA is proposing to remove?
The CFIA is proposing to remove the following:
- Inspection certificates and associated release permits will no longer be required or offered for the interprovincial trade of apples, potatoes or blueberries grown in and shipped from certain provinces as these requirements have not been carried forward into the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations
- The voluntary establishment registration (Registered Produce Warehouses) will no longer be offered as all businesses grading, packaging and labelling fresh fruits or vegetables will be required to have a licence under the Safe Food for Canadians Act and Regulations
- Agricultural Dealer's Licences, also known as Produce Licences, issued under the Licensing and Arbitration Regulations will not be carried forward and will not be issued
- Hog grading fees are being removed since federal grade standards do not exist for hog carcasses
- Fees related to labels and recipes in Part 10 – Meat Inspection Fees and Part 13 – Processed Fruit and Vegetable Product Fees will be removed because there are no provisions within the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations for the registration of labels or recipes
- Charges for the 2 different classes of fish import licences will no longer be applied as these will be replaced by the licence issued under SFCR. Since product import fees are linked to the class of import licence, the CFIA will use licence classifications that were in effect prior to the coming into force of SFCR to determine product import fees. This will mean no change for stakeholders
Q: Are there any proposed changes to the costs for the import or export of food?
The proposal maintains the current costs charged with each import and export transaction. The cost for the licence will be new and charged to all businesses that apply for and receive a licence under the Safe Food for Canadians Act and Regulations.