There are upcoming changes to USDA import permits and export certificates for fetal bovine serum to and from Canada APHIS and CFIA.
IMPORTANT: CFIA has also extended the transition period to September 21, 2018. After this date, exporters of Canadian and US FBS must use this updated protocol. A Canadian import is still required to accompany the export certificate.
During our discussions with CFIA, we identified FBS collected in the US and Canada as a commodity for harmonization of import and export requirements to streamline trade, since this commodity is frequently moved across the border for processing. The newly agreed import and export certificate language is as follows:
I, the undersigned official veterinarian of the U.S. Department of Agriculture after due inquiry and to the best of my knowledge, do hereby certify:
1. The dam of the fetal calf
a)was born in Canada or USA, or was legally imported into USA from Mexico
b)passed ante-mortem and post-mortem veterinary inspection in the USA or Canada at an official slaughter facility approved by and under the control of the competent government authority
c)was not subjected to a pithing process or to a stunning process with a device injecting compressed air or gas into the cranial cavity
2. The fetal bovine serum
a) was collected only in the USA or Canada
b) was processed only in the USA or Canada
d)has never been in any country other than the USA or Canada
3. The uterus was removed from the dam's abdominal cavity intact and taken to a separate area of the slaughter facility sufficiently removed from the slaughter area.
4. The fetal bovine serum was collected in a closed system in which the blood was conveyed directly from the bovine fetus in a closed conduit to a closed receptacle.
5. The fetal bovine serum was not commingled with any animal origin material not authorized by the accompanying import permit.
APHIS and CFIA will be implementing these changes beginning August 1. Around this time, APHIS import staff will begin to issue updated import permits, and will work with U.S. importers on the timing of permit amendment dates to accommodate shipments that are scheduled near the implementation time.
CFIA will grant a transition period lasting until September 17th for U.S. export certificates to be updated with the new language. CFIA will continue to accept the current U.S. export certificates, as well as the newly updated export certificates until that date.
