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This report highlights certification requirements for food and agricultural products exported to Canada and supplements the FAIRS Country Report.

This report has been updated to reflect the newest information and contacts relevant to exporting to South Africa. The Food and Agricultural Import Regulation and Standards (FAIRS) Certificate Report includes a list of the main certificates and permits needed to export food and agricultural products to South Africa.

The FAIRS Annual Country Report has been updated and summarizes the rules and regulations governing the import of food and agricultural products in South Africa. This report should be read in conjunction with the FAIRS Export Certificate Report to gain a thorough grasp of South African laws, standards, and import requirements.

In April 2024, Canada launched the Federal Plastics Registry requiring businesses to report each year, starting in 2025, on the quantity and types of plastic they place on the market and how that plastic moves through the economy. Draft regulations and measures on other plastic packaging initiatives (minimum recycled content, recyclability labeling, reduction targets, etc) are expected by the end of 2024.

South Africa is one of the most advanced and varied economies in Africa, boasting a strong business sector and advanced distribution networks to major urban centers in the country and throughout the entire Southern African region.

Record orange juice prices are expected to escalate orange juice production as growers increase deliveries for processing. Growers are diverting oranges from the export market and local sales towards processing on favorable prices.

On May 24, 2024, the Ontario provincial government announced an accelerated plan to allow sales of wine, beer, cider, and ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages in grocery and convenience stores by the end of October 2024. The initial timeline provided for implementation to begin in January 2026.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has opened a 60-day consultation on their draft National Potato Wart Response Plan. The consultation will remain open for comment until July 26, 2024.

The cold and wet winter of 2023 provided favorable conditions for deciduous fruit and aided in improved production volumes. Production is expected to grow and improve in quality from MY 2022/23 when fruit was affected by hail damage.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency published the finalized guidance document clarifying their position on novelty declarations and pre-market assessments for livestock feeds derived from crops developed through gene-editing.

Previously exporters and importers of live animals and genetic materials only required a permit, but a new directive requires prior authorization from the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development’s Animal Production Directorate before applying for the permit.

Although extension of anti-dumping duties imposed on frozen bone-in poultry portions from the US would typically mean business as usual as these duties are rebated under the tariff rate quota, a current de-facto restriction on applying general tariff rebates to poultry imported under the TRQ makes the announcement more concerning than usual.