Trophy Import to Canada (Change of rules)

bellero

bellero

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This came to me on another hunting forum. One big problem right now is there is only one certified taxidermist in Canada at the moment (hopefully another will be approved shortly).

Make sure to let your voices know this is not acceptable!


Hello to All,
The Importing Requirements have changed in Canada and we feel it is important that you know the new regulations. In simple form, Wildlife Trophies that enter Canada after July 22, 2013 must be in a fully Taxidermied state meaning ready to mount on a wall or fully mounted(no other taxidermy needed.) Any skins, Skulls, Horns etc that are NOT fully taxidermied will have to be sent to a CERTIFIED TAXIDERMIST(CFIA APPROVED) to be fully taxidermied before clearance will be issued. They will be treated like quarantined shipments. If you could please pass this information on to any parties you know will be affected by this change we would greatly appreciate it.


The requirement for all animal tissues to be imported into Canada has been updated to reflect the high-risk nature of this commodity. This requirement for hunting trophy imports will be enforced at Vancouver International Airport beginning July 22, 2013. In the meantime, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency will be scrutinizing trophy shipments more closely.

The most up-to-date policy is "Importation of Integumentary Tissue", available online:
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/animals/terrestrial-animals/imports/policies/animal-products-and-by-products/2001-01/eng/1359039786504/1359039919425

Please forward this information to any interested parties.

Regards,


Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Richmond Sub-District Office/
Agence canadienne d'inspection des aliments, Bureau de sous-district Richmond
Animal Health/Santé des animaux
Tel: (604) 666-7042
Fax: (604) 666-6027
Plant Health/Santé des végétaux
Tel: (604) 666-7177
Fax: (604) 666-7170
richmond.insp@inspection.gc.ca
 
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We need to find out who's case to get on about this, I still have items inbound from Zimbabwe and will be shipping another crate from Namibia soon. This would add greatly to the cost and hassle, and my friend is a good taxidermist who I insist on using, not some random I've never heard of who can doubtless charge sky high rates being the only option.
 
CFIA did all inspections at the port of importation, it sounds like they're no longer doing that but passing the buck to certified taxidermists. I don't quite understand why no website link is provided or why this is a BC bulletin. Vancouver is by no means the main port of entry for trophies arriving outside of North America.

I can't find a link to this particular bulletin on CFIA's website, the closest is an updated version from Jan. 13, 2013.

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/animals...ducts/2001-01/eng/1359039786504/1359039919425
 
A member on Africahunting.com posted it, he says he received the email from his shipping agent and also from a friend. I posted it here to confirm its veracity as I have an African hunt planned.
 
I don't doubt the authenticity, it just seems odd that if this new rule is coming into effect this coming Tuesday at Vancouver Airport, the CFIA website shows no such update and the link provided was last updated in February, though the letter states it is the "most up-to-date policy". Perhaps this is a Vancouver Airport issue only.

Regardless, I suppose it's possible this government agency is a touch inefficient and the webmaster is on summer holidays (since February). :rolleyes:
 
Over the past couple years we had soil and water samples shipped in from overseas. They could only be sent to certified labs. Which means the labs have to have approved contaminated materials handling and disposal procedures, which includes incineration.

One set of samples was held at customs because the lab wasn't certified. The lab worked on getting their certification, it took a month or two, but by that time, the samples had already been incinerated.

I have no doubt that unmounted trophies with be held and then incinerated if not sent to a (the) certified taxidermist.
 
Here is a letter that a friend wrote to his MP regarding the recent decision by the government regarding the importation of hunting trophies to Canada. Please read it and use it as a template to write your MP.

Ted
I am writing as a strong supporter (both financially and at the polls) of the Conservative party of Canada and as a voter within your riding. Recent changes (and apparently very suddenly) in importation rules with regard to international hunting trophies has me quite concerned. For years , hunters travelling internationally would have their big game trophies follow them home in the form of salted hides and associated skull/horns/antlers. The process included complete vet checks from both the international vet and a vet here in Canada upon arrival. Before any trophies left the shipping country they had to go through a complete sanitation process for entry into Canada. If the sanitization process was insufficient when it arrived into Canada, the trophies , upon inspection by Canadian vets/authorities were not released to the hunter. All charges involved were of course at the expense of the international hunter. On top of that the hunter was also obliged to pay GST on the trophy fee charged in the foreign country for each animal imported. These fees for an average trip to Africa , for example, would be in the order of $10,000 to $25,000, depending upon the animals harvested.
Apparently, the new rules for importation from many countries will now require (as of yesterday!!) FULL TAXIDERMY on all animals. I don't believe the consequences of these changes have been fully Evaluated by your government for the following reasons:

- Taxidermy in foreign countries can be anywhere from excellent to downright shoddy - leaving open the possibility of insects and disease to be much worse than treated capes (hides)

- You have now cut out a substantial amount of work for taxidermists in this country , many who rely on animals from foreign countries to "make ends meet".

- This ruling will require ridiculous costs of shipping already taxidermied animals (can you imagine the shipping cost of a fully taxidermied cape buffalo or full mount lion or leopard)
If this ruling was designed to reduce accidental insect and disease importation, I think the government is fooling themselves. I believe the problem could be much worse with already mounted animals. Of course in the back of my mind there is always a suspicion that the naïve anti-hunting lobby has something to do with the new rulings. As you well know CITIES regulations (world wide) control animal importation quotas extremely carefully.
I would very much like to hear your thoughts on these changes and the reasons behind them.
 
The latest from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency:

Hello Everyone,

Please note: Due to confusion caused by emails that were distributed on July 8 and July 18, 2013, the CFIA wishes to clarify that there have been no regulatory changes with regards to imports of integumentary tissues as per the Importation of Integumentary Tissue (TAHD-DSAT-IE-2001-1-2).

The updated version of the CFIA policy on the Importation of Integumentary Tissue was published in January, 2013. This updated policy includes clarifications to the preceding version, however, there are no significant changes to import procedures with regard to the import of hunting trophies into Canada. The information included in this notice is for clarification purposes, and does not replace the policy in any way.

-- Imports of hunting trophies and integumentary tissues from countries other than the USA must be visually inspected by the CFIA at the port-of-landing. This includes fully taxidermied articles.

-- Products imported from the USA, do not require visual inspection, but do require a certificate of origin, and/or an SRM permit in the case of bovine sculls from bovines over 30 months of age.

-- As per the "Procedures for Importation of Integumentary Tissues" Section of the policy, Fully tanned hides and skins and professionally prepared taxidermy mounts, horns, and hooves in display form that are free from all feces, blood, dirt, and ectoparasites are eligible to enter Canada without any certification or disinfection. Any items that are found to be soiled are to be refused entry and may either be destroyed, returned to the country of origin or directed to a pre-approved premise for disinfection.

-- Items from countries that are designated as free of diseases of concern of the species of origin (other than the USA) may be released after inspection, with the appropriate zoosanitary certification, if they are found to be free of dirt, blood, feces, soil, etc. An official veterinary certificate from the competent authority is required, that fully describes the products, stating the country of origin and that the country is free of the diseases of concern. Regardless of the species of animal or type of material imported, any item that is found to be dirty or contaminated with blood, soil, vegetable material, straw, hay or manure will not be allowed entry into Canada unless directed to a pre-approved premise for disinfection.

-- Items from countries that are not designated as free of diseases of concern of the species from which they originate must be directed to a pre-approved disinfection facility for distribution after arrival. A copy of the CFIA premise approval certificate must be provided by the importer to the CFIA at the time of importation. The items must be sealed and transported directly from the port-of-landing to the pre-approved disinfection facility, in sealed leak-proof containers, under CFIA supervision. If items arrive without an approval certificate, and no premise has been pre-approved for the shipment, the items may be retained for a maximum of 30 days awaiting premises approval. If no premises approval has been obtained in 30 days, the items will be ordered removed from Canada.

For more detail, please consult the policy directly. Specific questions regarding the policy can be directed to the respective CFIA Area Import Specialist: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/animals/terrestrial-animals/offices/eng/1300462382369/1300462438912
We regret any confusion or inconvenience any previous emails may have caused.

Regards,
Desiree
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Richmond Sub-District Office/
Agence canadienne d'inspection des aliments, Bureau de sous-district Richmond
Animal Health/Santé des animaux
Tel: (604) 666-7042
Fax: (604) 666-6027
Plant Health/Santé des végétaux
Tel: (604) 666-7177
Fax: (604) 666-7170
richmond.insp@inspection.gc.ca
 
I think what this regulation relates to mostly is the importation of actual raw untanned or treated hides and trophies from overseas. I read it as saying that any bovine or goat product from the US is a no-go and anything else must have come from either a country that is free of any of the listed diseases or has been treated in such a way that it will prevent the introduction of the disease. When you have something coming in from Africa in an untaxidermied form it goes through the "dip and ship" process and is shipped hard dried to the taxidermist whereupon it is rehydrated and wet-tanned.

Here's what the actual regulations have to say regarding import in general (s40, 41) and the import of skins (s42). From the looks of things the legislation is no different that what we have done in the past.

PART IV
IMPORTATION OF ANIMAL BY-PRODUCTS, ANIMAL PATHOGENS AND OTHER THINGS
Importation Prohibited
40. No person shall import into Canada an animal by-product, manure or a thing containing an animal by-product or manure except in accordance with this Part.

SOR/79-839, s. 15;SOR/80-428, s. 4;SOR/92-708, s. 1;SOR/97-85, s. 34.

41. (1) A person may import into Canada an animal by-product, manure or a thing containing an animal by-product or manure, other than one described in section 45, 46, 47, 47.1, 49, 50, 51, 51.2 or 53, if

(a) the country of origin is the United States and the by-product, manure or thing is not derived from an animal of the subfamily Bovinae or Caprinae;

(b) the country of origin, or the part of that country, is designated under section 7 as being free of, or as posing a negligible risk for, any reportable disease, any disease referred to in Schedule VII and any serious epizootic disease to which the species from which the by-product, manure or thing was derived is susceptible and that can be transmitted by the by-product, manure or thing, and the person produces a certificate of origin signed by an official of the government of that country attesting to that origin; or

(c) the by-product, manure or thing has been collected, treated, prepared, processed, stored and handled in a manner that would prevent the introduction into Canada of any reportable disease, any disease referred to in Schedule VII and any serious epizootic disease to which the species from which the by-product, manure or thing was derived is susceptible and that can be transmitted by the by-product, manure or thing, and the person produces a certificate signed by an official of the government of the country of origin that

(i) attests that the by-product, manure or thing has been collected, treated, prepared, processed, stored and handled in that manner, and

(ii) shows the details of how it was collected, treated, prepared, processed, stored and handled.

(2) Subsection (1) does not apply in respect of manure found in or on a vehicle that is entering Canada from the United States if the manure was produced by animals, other than swine, that are being transported by the vehicle.

Raw Wool, Hair or Bristles, Hide or Skin

42. A person may import into Canada raw wool, hair or bristles or an untanned hide or skin from a country or a part of a country not referred to in section 41 if

(a) the article is transported under seal of an inspector directly from the place of entry to an approved disinfection establishment for disinfection in accordance with these Regulations; or

(b) in the case of an untanned hide or skin, an inspector is satisfied that the article

(i) is a hard dried hide or skin of an animal,

(ii) has been pickled in a solution of salt containing mineral acid and was packed in a leakproof container while still wet with such solution; or

(iii) is the hide or skin of an animal and has been treated with lime so as to become de-haired.

SOR/97-85, s. 34;SOR/97-478, s. 10(E).
Click to expand...
 
I'm waiting for trophy's to be sent over from South Africa right now and my importer sent me this today. It's an email he received from the CFIA. Please decipher?

He also mentioned that my trophy's had to be sent to a " certified" taxidermist but when I asked him he couldn't provide any info on who were " certified".

From: Richmond_Staff Richmond_Staff [mailto:richmond.insp@inspection.gc.ca]
Sent: July-25-13 12:39 PM
To: ###xx
Subject: Procedures for Importation of Integumentary Tissues


Hello Everyone,

Please note: Due to confusion caused by emails that were distributed on July 8 and July 18, 2013, the CFIA wishes to clarify that there have been no regulatory changes with regards to imports of integumentary tissues as per the Importation of Integumentary Tissue (TAHD-DSAT-IE-2001-1-2).

The updated version of the CFIA policy on the Importation of Integumentary Tissue was published in January, 2013. This updated policy includes clarifications to the preceding version, however, there are no significant changes to import procedures with regard to the import of hunting trophies into Canada. The information included in this notice is for clarification purposes, and does not replace the policy in any way.

-- Imports of hunting trophies and integumentary tissues from countries other than the USA must be visually inspected by the CFIA at the port-of-landing. This includes fully taxidermied articles.

-- Products imported from the USA, do not require visual inspection, but do require a certificate of origin, and/or an SRM permit in the case of bovine sculls from bovines over 30 months of age.

-- As per the "Procedures for Importation of Integumentary Tissues" Section of the policy, Fully tanned hides and skins and professionally prepared taxidermy mounts, horns, and hooves in display form that are free from all feces, blood, dirt, and ectoparasites are eligible to enter Canada without any certification or disinfection. Any items that are found to be soiled are to be refused entry and may either be destroyed, returned to the country of origin or directed to a pre-approved premise for disinfection.

-- Items from countries that are designated as free of diseases of concern of the species of origin (other than the USA) may be released after inspection, with the appropriate zoosanitary certification, if they are found to be free of dirt, blood, feces, soil, etc. An official veterinary certificate from the competent authority is required, that fully describes the products, stating the country of origin and that the country is free of the diseases of concern. Regardless of the species of animal or type of material imported, any item that is found to be dirty or contaminated with blood, soil, vegetable material, straw, hay or manure will not be allowed entry into Canada unless directed to a pre-approved premise for disinfection.

-- Items from countries that are not designated as free of diseases of concern of the species from which they originate must be directed to a pre-approved disinfection facility for distribution after arrival. A copy of the CFIA premise approval certificate must be provided by the importer to the CFIA at the time of importation. The items must be sealed and transported directly from the port-of-landing to the pre-approved disinfection facility, in sealed leak-proof containers, under CFIA supervision. If items arrive without an approval certificate, and no premise has been pre-approved for the shipment, the items may be retained for a maximum of 30 days awaiting premises approval. If no premises approval has been obtained in 30 days, the items will be ordered removed from Canada.

For more detail, please consult the policy directly. Specific questions regarding the policy can be directed to the respective CFIA Area Import Specialist: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/animals/terrestrial-animals/offices/eng/1300462382369/1300462438912

We regret any confusion or inconvenience any previous emails may have caused.
 
Translation:

If it's taxidermied CFIA will open the box and look at them to make sure there's no blood, dirt, poop or bugs.

If there is blood, dirt, poop or bugs it could be destroyed, sent back or sent to a cleaner.

If it comes from a country with any of the weird diseases on the list in Appendix 7 it has to go to a disinfection facility (I would assume this is for green items, not taxidermied or hard dried)

If your stuff is coming back taxidermied it should be smooth sailing.
 
Has anyone noticed that the CFIA is speaking of changes to their own "policy"??? "Policy" is not "law", but the CFIA consistently treats their own policies as having the effect of law, since the CBSA will defer to the CFIA's policies. The CFIA likes to refer to their internally made-up rules as "regulations" also (even when they are not actual regulations passed pursuant to their enabling Act).

I have little doubt that there have been no changes to the actual regulations (passed under the Health of Animals Act). Unfortunately, in my four years of dealing with this outfit, I have found the the CFIA to be a self-serving group of bureaucrats whose main interest revolves around dreaming up ways to increase their own authority.

If they don't get push-back, they have no qualms with crippling a whole industry. Oh, and our sad sack federal Ministers (including our joke of a Minister of Agriculture) are seriously disinterested with questioning their civil servants or understanding their own law.

Push back or prepare to get screwed. Theses SOB's are only concerned with increasing their influence. Misreading the law and creating crippling "policies" out of thin air is their forte. Thanks, BUM for digging up the reg excerpt. There is a ton more where that came from.

I have two three-inch thick files on this cancerous outfit's empire-building efforts. If there was ever a part of the federal Civil Service that needed pruning, reigning-in and strict oversight, the CFIA is it.
 
A-zone said:
Has anyone noticed that the CFIA is speaking of changes to their own "policy"??? "Policy" is not "law", but the CFIA consistently treats their own policies as having the effect of law, since the CBSA will defer to the CFIA's policies. The CFIA likes to refer to their internally made-up rules as "regulations" also (even when they are not actual regulations passed pursuant to their enabling Act).

I have little doubt that there have been no changes to the actual regulations (passed under the Health of Animals Act). Unfortunately, in my four years of dealing with this outfit, I have found the the CFIA to be a self-serving group of bureaucrats whose main interest revolves around dreaming up ways to increase their own authority.

If they don't get push-back, they have no qualms with crippling a whole industry. Oh, and our sad sack federal Ministers (including our joke of a Minister of Agriculture) are seriously disinterested with questioning their civil servants or understanding their own law.

Push back or prepare to get screwed. Theses SOB's are only concerned with increasing their influence. Misreading the law and creating crippling "policies" out of thin air is their forte. Thanks, BUM for digging up the reg excerpt. There is a ton more where that came from.

I have two three-inch thick files on this cancerous outfit's empire-building efforts. If there was ever a part of the federal Civil Service that needed pruning, reigning-in and strict oversight, the CFIA is it.
Click to expand...
Them and the CRA need a purging....
 
Will let y'all know if I have any grief, as I should have a box arriving any day from SA, into Van. I corporately use a broker to clear stuff and they have dealt with my capes for the last 4 or 5 shipments, so we'll see how they make out. They really know the laws and how to "push back" as A-zone says.
 
So here is the latest from CFIA. There are no changes to the 2001 regulations but apparently many offices have not been enforcing theregulations to the letter of the law and they will be now. So, any shipments of salted hides and boiled heads coming from a non-approved country (this includes all of Africa) will have to go to a certified taxidermist for an additional 28 days of treatment. After that they can be released to the owner for tanning or taxidermy or whatever he chooses to do with them. It will likely add an additional $1,000-$1,500 to the cost of importing trophies into Canada. There are several taxidermists in Canada presently trying to become certified very quickly.
 
certified taxidermist doing tannery or treatment ???? how many in Canada are just doing the tannery in their own premises?

im thinking some are trying to get more money from hunters travelling abroad .... just my two cents ...
 
Naw, this is all the government's doing. All the certified facility has to do is treat the hides for 28 days...after that they can go for tanning anywhere. Sounds like they are setting up several more certified taxidermists as we speak. No doubt it will be a bit of a financial win fall for a few taxidermists though.
 
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