Morocco - Export requirements for milk and dairy products

1. Eligible/ineligible product

Eligible

Milk and dairy products as per the list of Harmonized System (HS) codes which can be found in the electronic platform of the ONSSA. An import permit might be necessary. It is the responsibility of the exporter to ensure that the product being exported will be covered by the certificates issued by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

Ineligible

Information not available.

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

The information presented in this section is currently being revised due to a notification from Morocco to the World Trade Organization (WTO). The title of the document is "l'Arrêté du ministre de l'agriculture, de la pêche maritime, du développement rural et des eaux et forêts No 466-23 relatif à l'enregistrement des établissements exportateurs de produits alimentaires vers le Maroc" (PDF) (in French only). The date of entry into force of the conditions for the registration of the establishments is January 1, 2024. It is strongly recommended that the exporter verify the requirements below with their importer before contacting the CFIA.

Establishments

The manufacturing, exporting and storage facilities of dairy products must be under the official oversight of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and be licensed under the Safe Food for Canadian Regulations (SFCR).

The Office National de Sécurité Sanitaire des Produits Alimentaires (ONSSA) has launched an electronic platform for the registration of foreign establishments that produce, process and store food products that will be exported to Morocco. The operator, in collaboration with his importer should create an account in order to upload the documents required by ONSSA, in particular:

Annex I – Declaration of compliance of the establishment which must be completed on company letterhead and signed by an authorized person of the establishment.
Annex II – Attestation of compliance by the competent authority (accessible only on the Government of Canada network – RDIMS 2027466) which must be completed and signed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

To obtain the annex II, please contact your local CFIA office. This annex will ultimately be issued by the Food Import and Export Division to licensed parties who are in good standing with the CFIA. The agency reserves the right to request any other information that it considers necessary before issuing annex II.

Once the account is created, adding an establishment should follow the steps below:

Step 1: Choose the product category
Step 2: Enter basic information concerning the establishment
Step 3: Enter the production information
Step 4: Attach the necessary documents to add request

Note: The operator must ensure that all the necessary information and documents are uploaded into the ONSSA platform depending on the type of products that will be exported to Morocco. Also, in order to avoid problems at the entry border control post, it is important that the information provided in the platform is accurate and matches the one indicated on the heath certificate issued by the CFIA.

The platform will operate continuously every day off the week. A registration number will be assigned by ONSSA to the registered establishment. To facilitate administrative procedures at the entry Border Control Posts (BCP), ONSSA recommends to indicate the said number on the documents accompanying the shipment as well as on the labeling. The validity of this registration on the platform will be five (5) years. Renewal must be done three (3) months before the expiration of the current registration. A user manual for the platform is available on the ONSSA website.

Products

Product registration is necessary when registering the establishment in the ONSSA platform.

3. Production controls and inspection requirements

The inspector must verify during a preventive control inspection that the establishment is aware of the dairy standards and requirements of Morocco and has a specific export procedure in place.

Manufacturer's declaration:

All export requests for milk and dairy products must be accompanied by a Manufacturer's declaration completed and signed by an authorized person of the food manufacturing establishment/facility.
To request a template of the manufacturer's declaration, please contact your local CFIA office.
The product(s) must be clearly identified on the manufacturer's declaration and match exactly the product(s) that are part of the export shipment.

Note: Inspectors will verify that the manufacturer's declaration is completed appropriately and reserve the right to request any other information that they think is necessary for the final certification of the product.

Certification requirements

The health certificate TS.MA contains animal health and public health requirements.

Imported dairy ingredients

The use of imported dairy ingredients from certain countries may limit the ability to export to Morocco. The exporter must provide Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) with all relevant documentation (official documentation from the competent authorities) for the imported dairy ingredients.

4. Labelling, packaging, and marking requirements

It is the exporter's responsibility to meet all the requirements for labelling, packaging and marking requirements as required by the importing country.

5. Documentation requirements

Canada has a negotiated certificate with Morocco. Request for any additional statements must be confirmed by CFIA's Food Import Export Division (FIED).

Certificate

Health certificate for the export of milk and milk products for human consumption from Canada to Morocco TS.MA.
Certificate of Inspection Radioactivity Content as required in statement 7(c) of the health certificate TS.MA.
- The request of the Certificate of Inspection Radioactivity Content from the CFIA must be made prior to receiving the export health certificate.

Note:

The health certificate is signed by the CFIA official veterinarian and official inspector.
Halal certification may be required. The importer and exporter are responsible for providing the required halal certification for exported dairy products. The CFIA is not involved in the halal certification.
Export certificates cannot be issued for products that have left Canada.

6. Other information

Exported products transiting through a country may require transit documentation. It is the responsibility of the exporter to ensure that the shipment will be accompanied by all necessary certificates.

A certificate of origin (CO) could be requested during the import control procedure at the border inspection posts. The CO is issued by chambers of commerce.

Samples (personal or commercial) may be subject to the same requirements as a regular shipment. It is strongly recommended that the exporter verify these requirements with their importer.

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