Exporting food and animal products to the European Union

The European Union (EU) has enacted a new EU Animal Health Law (AHL). Effective January 15, 2022, exporters for food and animal commodities destined for the EU where certification is required under the new EU AHL are required to use updated export certificates, and access them through the Trade Control and Expert System New Technology (TRACES NT).

Exceptions include the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) form Certificate of Free Sale (CFIA/ACIA 5786) and the Animal Health Certificate for Entry into the Union of Dogs, Cats, and Ferrets: In-Transit and Commercial Movements (Model 'Canis-Felis-Ferrets') HA 3169).

The Certificate of Free Sale (CFIA/ACIA 5786), is available for food products manufactured by licensed parties under the Safe Food for Canadians Act (SFCA) and Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR). The Certificate of Free Sale does not replace product or commodity specific certificates that have been negotiated with foreign countries, nor does it replace or supersede additional import requirements that may be established by the importing country.

For information on the requirements and certification of in-transit and commercial movements of dogs, cats and ferrets to the EU please consult the following link: Export of dogs, cats, and ferrets to the European Union and Northern Ireland: In-transit commercial movements.

Creating an EU TRACES NT login account and user access profile, will ensure that all clearance documents contain accurate business information. This will decrease border clearance delays.

To prepare for these changes

• Create an EU TRACES login account | EU TRACES login page
  • Accurate and complete business information is important, as this will be the official account and this information will be listed on further documentation (clearance documents). Duplicate accounts should be avoided
    Note: to delete duplicate accounts contact the EU TRACES Helpdesk at SANTE-TRACES@ec.europa.eu or +32 2 297 63 50
• Create an EU user access profile | TRACES NT login page
  • For helpful information on for creating new operators in the system (part of the access profile steps) visit Create a new operator in TRACES NT. Please review in advance of completing the steps to ensure duplicate accounts are avoided
• Activate account (known in TRACES NT as validation) for export. To request activation of your account in TRACES NT for export activities^Footnote 1, contact the CFIA (the Central Competent Authority) – cfia.tracesntadministrator-tracestnadministrateur.acia@inspection.gc.ca

• Please include in your email:

  • full name of the individual requesting access as well as the company name (exactly as it appears in TRACES NT)
  • identifiers associated with the company name in TRACES NT, if any are listed.
  • if your company has enrolled in My CFIA, include the party name and profile identification (PR) number as they appear in My CFIA (these can be found under party administration on your dashboard)
  • if you are not enrolled in My CFIA include the company name as it appears on any EU eligibility list

  Once CFIA validates the account, you will receive an email notification to that effect. Validation is required before you can begin to use TRACES NT. Please note that the CFIA is granting access to TRACES NT, where the term "validate" is referenced in the EU's user manual and documentation.

• Complete part 1 of the export certificate in TRACES NT. Refer to Part I Details of Dispatched Consignment – As Economic Operator for more information on TRACES documentation
• Contact your local CFIA office to finalize your request for export services (which may include an inspection and certificate issuance)

Then and now

View a summary of the change in process by using TRACES NT

Advantages

Creating an EU TRACES NT login account and user access profile, will ensure that all clearance documents contain accurate business information. This will decrease border clearance delays. For example minor differences in business name on documents could identify you as a different company or create a duplicate account.

Questions

If you have questions about:

• EU Animal Health Law and new exporting rules, contact: aafc.mas-sam.aac@canada.ca. Visit Food export requirements library for more information
• market access concerns, please contact the Market Access Secretariat at aafc.mas-sam.aac@agr.gc.ca
• the export process, export inspections, certificate issuance, please contact your local CFIA office
• user fees: service fees may be applied for applications and certification requests. Some certificates may require more than one type of attestation. Please consult the CFIA Fees Notice for additional details.
• your TRACES NT account, the system
  • Please refer to the FAQ in the TRACES NT system for common issues including (but not limited to)
    • updating your name
    • updating your email address
    • updating or changing your password
    • requesting roles
    • adding activities to your profile
    • issues when logging into TRACES NT
      • why shouldn't users share an account
      • I mistyped my password several times and now EU Login tells me to wait for 15 minutes
  • refer to the help link on the login page for further suggestions
  • for an incorrect postal code
    • The EU will not change this in TRACES NT and they have indicated that this is not critical information
  • for an incorrect address
    • If you are currently on an EU eligibility list, then please notify your CFIA inspector to trigger an update of the list. This process can take several weeks
    • If you are not currently on an eligibility list, please contact the TRACES NT helpdesk to request the change
  • adding someone else to my company
    • the person will have to create an EU TRACES NT login account and user access profile
    • when selecting an operator role, they can choose an existing operator
• If you have reviewed (read and tried) all of the above and you are still experiencing issues
  • and you see an error message, open a ticket with the EU Login External Support: Email: EU-LOGIN-EXTERNAL-SUPPORT@ec.europa.eu
• For all other technical questions, regarding the TRACES NT system contact the TRACES NT helpdesk: SANTE-TRACES@ec.europa.eu or +32 2 297 63 50

  Examples of technical issues that we are aware must be addressed directly with the TRACES NT helpdesk:

  • when there is inaccurate information in your profile, you are unable to change
  • when there are duplicate profiles in the TRACES NT system

Why EU export certificates are changing

A European Commission Animal Health Law (AHL) came into force on April 21, 2021. The new law includes many changes and so a new suite of updated certificates is required.

The CFIA is fully adopting the TRACES NT system to generate these new certificates. The AHL contains detailed requirements on the registration and approval of establishments, traceability of animals and animal health requirements for movements of animals and their products and entry into the union, and specific measures for animal disease prevention and control. The AHL also proposes new model certificates for exports destined for the EU.

To learn about the requirements to export products to the European Union visit – Food and Animal Export Requirements.

TRACES NT

TRACES NT is an online portal to request export certificates. All maintenance of the certificate templates is done by the EU, providing exporters access to updated versions of the certificate they require.

The EU requires that all commodities entering the EU be accompanied by clearance documents prepared in TRACES NT. When export certificates are created in TRACES NT, the creation of the border clearance documentation is simplified, as a cloning function can be used to prepopulate the clearance documents with information that is part of the export certificate.

The entire package of documents is available in TRACES NT and serves as a pre-notification of the arrival of a consignment and therefore control authorities at EU border or at destination can plan their controls and secure inspection times at the border points. Once an EU login account and user access profile in TRACES NT have been created, linkages to existing EU eligibility lists can be made, that will streamline the certificate issuance process.