CUSMA updates for beef and dairy permits

Summary#

The Order Amending Certain General Import Permits Issued under the Export and Import Permits Act (Nos. 1, 13 and 100) updates wording in three general import permits to reflect the new Canada–United States–Mexico trade agreement (CUSMA). It clarifies which beef and certain milk-protein products do not need an import permit and comes into force when section 40 of the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement Implementation Act comes into force (or on the day the order is registered).

What it does#

• Replaces references to NAFTA with CUSMA in:
  • General Import Permit No. 100 — Eligible agricultural goods (updates items for bovine carcasses, bone-in cuts and boneless meat; and a milk-protein entry).
  • General Import Permit No. 1 — Dairy products for personal use (updates the milk-protein entry).
  • General Import Permit No. 13 — Beef and veal for personal use (updates beef/veal entries and explicitly adds origin exceptions for the EU and other CETA beneficiaries).
• Clarifies the milk-protein product entry to cover milk protein substances with 85% or more milk protein by weight (dry matter basis) and links them to specific international commitments.
• States the order’s start date is tied to the coming into force of section 40 of the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement Implementation Act, or the registration date if the order is registered later.
• The regulatory statement attached to the order also describes related changes in the same implementation package, including:
  • cancelling General Export Permit No. Ex. 31 (peanut butter) as redundant;
  • repealing three allocation method orders for certain agricultural tariff-rate quotas; and
  • amending the export/import fees order to waive fees for certain covered dairy export permits. (Those related changes are described in the regulatory impact statement that accompanies this order.)

Who's affected#

• Importers and travellers who bring or ship beef and veal into Canada (including personal-use imports).
• Businesses that import or handle milk-protein products meeting the 85% protein description.
• Exporters of peanut butter may notice the cancellation of a redundant export permit (per the regulatory statement).
• Global Affairs Canada and the Canada Border Services Agency because they administer and enforce import/export permits.
• The regulatory statement says there should be little or no practical impact on most businesses, including small businesses.

Why it matters#

• These changes tidy up Canada’s permit rules so they match Canada’s international trade commitments under CUSMA. That helps avoid confusion at the border about when an import permit is required.
• For most businesses and travellers the change is procedural: it replaces old treaty names and clarifies origin rules, rather than creating new restrictions or fees.
• Importers of specific dairy proteins and beef/veal should check the updated origin and product descriptions so they know whether an import permit is needed.