Brazil – Export requirements for fish and seafood

Eligible/ineligible product

Eligible

Non-live, wild caught finfish
Non-live, wild caught molluscs
Non-live, wild caught crustaceans except for shrimp
Aquacultured, eviscerated finfish products, such as fillets and steaks
Live, wild caught lobster
Fish oils intended for human consumption

Ineligible

All species of live and non-live wild caught shrimp
Live aquaculture animals
All species of non-live aquacultured crustaceans and molluscs

Pre-export approvals by the competent authority of the importing country

Establishments

Establishments involved in the processing and storage of products intended for export to Brazil must appear on the list of Canadian establishments approved for export to Brazil (Portuguese, English and Spanish).

This list is administered by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (MAPA).

Establishments wishing to be added to Brazil's list must be in compliance with Canadian regulations and be licensed under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) for the relevant activity and appear on the list of Canadian fish and seafood establishments approved for export. Contact your local CFIA office if your establishment is not on this list.

Procedure to add, update or exclude a processing establishment on the list of Canadian establishments approved for export to Brazil

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) must recommend the approval of the establishment for listing by MAPA. Please contact your local CFIA office to initiate the request and include the following information:

To add a new establishment or make changes to an existing establishment on the list:

establishment identification (ID) number
Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) licence number
company name as it should appear on the export list. The options are
- legal name of business as it appears on the SFC licence, or
- legal name of business (operating name), or
- legal name of business (vessel name)
physical site address of the establishment. For vessels, this should be the primary docking location
establishment operation type
- slaughter: AB
- processing: PC
- storage: ES
product category
- natural products
  - products that have not undergone any kind of preservation process other than chilling or freezing
- products not submitted to thermal processing
  - products containing added ingredients and/or additives, which are not the main factors for conserving its microbiologic stability, needing, however, the preservation by cold temperature to avoid losing its natural characteristics
- products submitted to thermal processing
  - products that undergo thermal processing by heat, with the purpose of partial or total loss of the product's natural characteristics, and that may or may not need preservation with cold temperature
- products subjected to thermal processing – cooking
  - products that undergo thermal processing with mild heat in order to destroy pathogenic microorganisms, and the deactivate enzymes that may be present in the product and may or may not require preservation by cold temperature
- products processed thermally – commercial sterilization
  - products that undergo a thermal treatment of higher intensity when compared to cooking, in order to destroy pathogenic microorganisms, and most of the spores that may be present in the products
- products with added inhibitors
  - products with added ingredients and/or additives, which are the main factors for maintaining microbiological stability, and that may or may not require preservation by cold temperature
- products submitted to hydrolysis
  - products submitted to decomposition of the protein chain with the purpose of adding a water molecule to its structure
- products consisting of different categories of meat products with or without added ingredients
  - products obtained from the combination of products of different categories, with or without the addition of other ingredients, and that may or may not require preservation by cold temperature
area: fish
species
- common name
- scientific name
manner obtained
- aquaculture: AQ
- extractive or wild: EX
- factory boat: BF
- freezer boat: B

To delete an establishment from the list:

establishment identification (ID) number
Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) licence number
company name as it appears on the export list

Label registration

MAPA has implemented an electronic system (Portuguese only) for the product and label registration for animal origin food products. Paper forms are not acceptable
In order for an establishment to register using the electronic system it must first be approved and listed by MAPA (see establishment requirements)
After the establishment is approved by MAPA, the company must sign a declaration letter, in English and Portuguese, indicating their legal representative. Contact your local CFIA office to obtain a template of the declaration letter
Once the letter is prepared on the company's letterhead, it will be sent to the CFIA for a signature and stamp and returned to the company to upload it into MAPA's electronic system

Required documents

Certificate

Brazil has indicated that all the information on the certificate, including the first page and description of the product (in particular the information in the fields Means of Transport, Conditions for transport/storage and Description of the product, Type of packaging and Number of packages), must be in Portuguese. Where applicable, information on the first page should appear in both English (or French) and Portuguese. The exporter is responsible for providing this information in both English (or French) and Portuguese to the CFIA. The exporter remains responsible for the accuracy of the Portuguese translation provided at the time of request for certification.

For eviscerated wild finfish products

Health certificate for fish and fish products for wild fisheries – for the export of eviscerated finfish products intended for human consumption from Canada to Brazil (AQAH-1054)
For uneviscerated wild finfish products

Health certificate for fish and fish products for wild fisheries – for the export of uneviscerated finfish products intended for human consumption from Canada to Brazil (AQAH-1055)
For aquacultured, eviscerated finfish products, including fillets and steaks

Health certificate for the export of eviscerated finfish products from aquaculture intended for human consumption from Canada to Brazil (AQAH-1113)
For fish oil

Health certificate for fish and fish products for wild fisheries – for the export of fish oil intended for human consumption from Canada to Brazil (CFIA/ACIA 1101)
For wild molluscs

Health certificate for fish and fish products from wild fisheries – for the export of molluscs intended for human consumption from Canada to Brazil (AQAH-1053)
For wild crustaceans (non-shrimp)

Health certificate for fish and fish products from wild fisheries – for the export of crustaceans (except shrimp) intended for human consumption from Canada to Brazil (AQAH-1020)
For wild live crustaceans

Health certificate for fish and fish products from wild fisheries – for the export of live crustaceans (except shrimp) intended for human consumption from Canada to Brazil (AQAH-1059)

The above certificates are joint certificates containing both food safety/public health and aquatic animal health attestations. Additional information is available on the Aquatic animal export: certification requirements for Brazil page.

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