2022 Upcoming Canada Organic Regime Import Requirements

With 2022 around the corner, Delmar International would like to remind its clients about the upcoming Canada Organic Regime import requirements.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) had advised that starting in 2022, importers of organic commodities for which the import requirements are included in AIRS will be required to submit a digital copy of the organic product certificate when declaring organic products online using the Integrated Import Declaration (IID) system.

Importers must ensure valid organic product certificates are provided to the customs broker in advance on any applicable imports or included with each import document package used for entry purposes.

Failure to provide an organic product certificate for applicable import transactions may result in cargo being delayed or refused entry into Canada.

Currently, importers/brokers are required to confirm possession of the organic product certificate at the time of import in the IID. Anyone who imports organic products must be able to present a valid organic certificate when requested at any time, including at the time of import.

Even with the current requirements, it is good practice to always provide a copy of the organic certificate to your broker. In a scenario where there are EDI system outages and a paper package needs to be submitted, the broker must submit a copy of the organic certificate to the CFIA as well as the CBSA.

Additional information can be found here: https://inspection.canada.ca/organic-products/canada-organic-regime-import-requirements/eng/1555434645631/1555434698370.

Information may also be requested directly from the CFIA’s Canada Organic Regime team at [email protected].

For further assistance, please contact our Canadian Customs Advisory Services team.