Exporting your agri-food products to the European Union

This page helps you gain a general overview of key regulations, considerations and requirements for Canadian agriculture and food entering the European Union (EU) and the European market.

It also provides information on rules of origin for the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) to help enable you to benefit from its preferential tariff treatment.

Note that the specific regulations, requirements or considerations applicable to your exports will depend on your products.

EU export requirements

Products exported to the EU must meet all regulatory and/or sanitary requirements. CETA does not change on-going EU regulatory or sanitary requirements.

Examples of export requirements:

• Products such as meat, fruits, vegetables or maple products for export to the EU must be produced in a Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) federally registered establishment.
• Meat and meat products such as pork, beef and pet food must be produced in an EU-approved facility.
• Shipments must include an accompanying CFIA export certificate and/or health certificate for your products.
• Products must conform to EU food labelling requirements. This includes meeting font size standards, identifying genetically modified (GM) ingredients and providing relevant nutrition information.

CETA rules of origin

Rules of origin are provisions in free trade agreements that determine whether a good is “originating”. Only products undergoing sufficient production in Canada or the EU are considered “originating products” and are eligible to benefit from CETA’s preferential tariff treatment.

To benefit from CETA's preferential tariff treatment, you must ensure your products satisfy CETA's rules of origin provisions. Rules of origin are carefully defined in the Text of CETA – Protocol on rules of origin and origin procedures. You can visit CETA Chapter Summaries - Protocol I: Rules of Origin and Origin Procedures to find a summarized version of CETA's rules of origin.

Examples of products satisfying CETA rules of origin:

• Products that are “wholly obtained”, being grown and harvested, in Canada. This includes grains, fruits, vegetables, or fish that are grown, harvested, or caught in Canadian territory.
• Finished products produced or transformed in Canada using non-originating materials in accordance with the product-specific rules of origin. This includes using imported materials or ingredients in a Canadian product.

Support to help you reach the EU