Taxidermy shipments to Canada

[ve7poi]

Can you please check the below info received from one broker there regarding new regulation in Canada and please confirm before I can export your goods ?

This might affect your shipment and we need to make sure before goods can be exported to Canada.


The Canadian Government has thrown another wrench into the clearance procedures here in Canada, the Canadian Veterinarians are now referring all shipment with wood products (drift wood, tree branches, tree stumps, dirt, grasses .. any type of live plant material) to the Plant protection department of CFIA. This has now held up (2) shipments, one for 30 days, which worked out to a 1500 hundred dollar storage bill, after heavy negotiating with the warehouse. The second shipment … just started clearing now .. to be determined.


The bottom line here .. we have to get word out to all of your clients, no logs .. branches, drift wood, Dirt .. should be on any of the mounts, if they would like to continue to use these products, they must have a “Phytosanitary Certificate” accompany the shipment … a Fumigation certificate is not enough .. clients will be looking a huge storage bill if the shipments show up in “Calgary” with these products … most of the time they will only be on Pedestal Mounts and Full Mounts. The last Pedestal mount had to be taken apart, the client was only able to keep the cabinet and the mounts, the drift wood and the base was taken by CFIA and destroyed.


I have been importing Trophy shipments for over 30 years and these two shipments are the first we have seen, the government seems to be creating these obstacles and unfortunately we have to find ways around them .. please keep in mind, this is only happening in Calgary at the moment, seems the majority of the shipments go through Calgary first !!

 

[adgunner]

Yet again it seems that in Canada we cannot apply rules equally across the country, last year I had a full size bushbuck shipped in with base and this year awaiting giraffe pedestal mount with basically the same base idea into Montreal. It has always been my understanding that unfinished wood has always been a no no (driftwood etc...)

 

[ChrisPy]

Thanx for the heads up. I have a life size with red sand on the base sould be on its way by the end of June, dam I gess I will have to go back to Africa and get a bag of sand.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Got a name of the Author from the government side?

What were the particular animals that happened to be mounted with the "wood" in question. A Lion or Leopard perhaps?


It is typical of the CFIA to refuse shipments that are "dirty"
That has always been the case. Now, what dirt is can be up for argument.

Sounds like a policy move. "Today we are going to enforce this and be more stringent."
Out of Calgary, I can believe it.

"Plant Protection Department" Never heard of that one.
CBSA officers that can not identify plants may be directed to request an expert identify the species to ensure they are not on a CITES list. There are trees on the list.

Sure enough here it is:

Phytosanitary Certificates
A Phytosanitary Certificate is an official document issued by the plant protection organization of the exporting country to the plant protection organization of the importing country. It certifies that the plants or plant products covered by the certificate have been inspected according to appropriate procedures and are considered to be free from quarantine pests and practically free from other injurious pests, and that they are considered to conform with the current phytosanitary regulations of the importing country. The Phytosanitary Certificate facilitates trade but it is not a trade document.
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/plants/...-certificates/eng/1299872808479/1299872974262

If they want another inspection done in Africa by a government department and not just the veterinarian. That is insane.


https://www.ippc.int/en/
https://www.ippc.int/en/countries/south-africa/

Ms. Alice BAXTER
Director: Plant Health
Directorate Plant Health
South African Department of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries, Private Bag X14, Gezina 0031, Pretoria, South Africa
Phone: +27-12-319-6529
Fax: +27-12-319-6101/6193
Email: nppoza@daff.gov.za
Alternate Email: AliceB@daff.gov.za
Preferred languages: English
Website: http://www.daff.gov.za/
Date contact registration: 15 Oct 2007


Me thinks the Vet inspectors in Africa are going to need one more qualification and one more piece of paper if this keeps up.

I have a couple of live mounts on the way in less than a month and I'll be having a look at this closely.

 

[Hank2211]

Agree with Brickburn. Trophies mounted on finished wood have never been an issue, but unfinished wood and grease, etc., has always been an issue. Taxidermists I have used in the past have sent mounts with plastic grasses (which I promptly remove) to avoid this issue.

If they are starting to apply the rules for unfinished wood to finished wood, then we have a problem, but one which I expect will get resolved over time. Usually these types of things are initiatives by local staff, and once complaints make their way up, the rules go back to reasonable(ish).

 

[AB2506]

My expeditor shipped my trophies through Vancouver to avoid the activist inspectors in Calgary. A freight service was hired to bring the trophies from Vancouver to my home in Calgary. Expeditor also used a plastic crate for shipment as some inspectors believed there was less change of insect hitchhikers with a plastic crate rather than a wooden crate. That was as of April 2015. Vancouver processed shipment within 36hrs. Calgary was holding for up to 14 days before inspection.

 

[BRICKBURN]

I'll be having a chat with the head honcho (out west) at CFIA Inspections.
I have never had an issue with these guys.
(The CBSA selective taxation on trophy Fee/GST thing, that's another matter. )

Maybe we just hired a USFW drop out.

 

[adgunner]

I smell a rat in Calgary somewhere ...

 

[BRICKBURN]

I just sent an email to the head cheese and the local Inspector asking for clarification on the policy. Including the OP.
I'll let you know what they have to say.

 

[AB2506]

Brickburn, Maybe contact David Little from SCI Calgary. He has met with CFIA officials at a national level to address some of the issues of uneven enforcement. With the change of government last fall, I am unclear of the status. One thing we do not want is have all the ports of entry adopt the Calgary standard. Vancouver is reputed to be very reasonable. I used Rigel Logistics from Moose Jaw.

 

[ChrisPy]

My expeditor shipped my trophies through Vancouver to avoid the activist inspectors in Calgary. A freight service was hired to bring the trophies from Vancouver to my home in Calgary. Expeditor also used a plastic crate for shipment as some inspectors believed there was less change of insect hitchhikers with a plastic crate rather than a wooden crate. That was as of April 2015. Vancouver processed shipment within 36hrs. Calgary was holding for up to 14 days before inspection.

do you have contact that you used in Vancouver, would be a great help
Thanx

 

[BRICKBURN]

Brickburn, Maybe contact David Little from SCI Calgary. He has met with CFIA officials at a national level to address some of the issues of uneven enforcement. With the change of government last fall, I am unclear of the status. One thing we do not want is have all the ports of entry adopt the Calgary standard. Vancouver is reputed to be very reasonable. I used Rigel Logistics from Moose Jaw.

I'll see what the folks have to say before I go further.

The taxidermists in Africa will be their own worst enemies if they send dirty shipments. It only raises the alert level for every shipment.

Hunters need to start asking for GOOD pictures of their shipment before it leaves Africa and demand that is crated and shipped properly.
Sadly the majority will not be informed and will stumble into this type of issue when they get the news at home.

 

[AB2506]

do you have contact that you used in Vancouver, would be a great help
Thanx

Rigel handled all the details. I just had to be at home to receive my shipment.
http://www.orion-taxidermy.com/rigel-logistics/

 

[AB2506]

I'll see what the folks have to say before I go further.

The taxidermists in Africa will be their own worst enemies if they send dirty shipments. It only raises the alert level for every shipment.

Hunters need to start asking for GOOD pictures of their shipment before it leaves Africa and demand that is crated and shipped properly.
Sadly the majority will not be informed and will stumble into this type of issue when they get the news at home.

It sounds like I am a Rigel pimp, but their representative visited the taxidermy shop and inspected the shipment. Rigel's plastic crate was used. Rigel arranged shipping through Vancouver to my door. Other than writing a cheque, it was hassle free.

 

[sheephunterab]

Calgary is the worst place to ship trophies into. 100% of raw African shipments are sent for secondary treatment. They even sent our last Australian shipment for secondary treatment even though Australia isn't on the list of countries where it's required. The crate was never opened by CFIA, they just automatically required it. Thankfully we do have a good CFIA certified taxidermist and broker here in Calgary.