Meat haulers will no longer be notified of inspections

OTTAWA — A few days after New Years, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will stop providing 72-hour advance notification of inspection of US meat imports.

Drivers will be selected and advised upon arrival at the border that their meat shipment has been selected for CFIA inspection, reports the Canadian Trucking Alliance.

Prior to arrival at the border, importers and brokers are to ensure that selected carriers are aware of the location of the pre-selected meat inspection facility where the driver is to report to.

The driver will be notified by a CBSA officer and the documents will be stamped with a “Report for Meat Inspection” stamp.

Upon arrival, the shipment should have already been customs released by the Border Services Officer indicated via the usual customs stamp.

Drivers should be keenly aware, though, that a stamp is still required at the border, and in some cases there may be two — the second one indicating that the shipment must go for inspection.

CBSA is looking into the possibility of notifying carriers via RNS when the shipment is selected for CFIA inspection