CFIA Just Pulled Registration Types and Miscellaneous Codes from Chapter 16 Meat Products

What Changed

CFIA published Chapter 16 updates to AIRS (Automated Import Reference System) on May 21, 2026. They removed a registration type and two miscellaneous codes — “Fully Marked” and “Unstamped” — from a long list of HS codes covering prepared or preserved meat products under headings 16.01 and 16.02. The affected codes span beef, veal, lamb, and pork products, with origin coverage across 27 countries including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Mexico, the U.S., and most of Europe.

The removal applies to two end-use categories: “In transit through Canada” and “Other end uses.” That means if you’re filing CADs against Chapter 16 meat imports from any of those origins, the fields your broker used to populate on the CFIA permit or in the AIRS reference no longer exist.

Why This Matters for Your CAD Filing

CFIA maintains AIRS as the authoritative reference for OGD (Other Government Department) requirements at time of import. When they pull a code or field, brokers can’t file against it anymore. If your customs software or your broker’s internal SOP still references “Fully Marked” or “Unstamped” as selectable options for Chapter 16 meat, those entries will reject at the CFIA validation step in the CBSA release workflow.

We’ve seen this pattern before with CFIA updates to dairy and egg products. The codes disappear from AIRS, but internal checklists and templates lag by weeks. Result: release holds while the broker scrambles to refile the CAD with corrected CFIA data, and your container sits at the port or sufferance warehouse accruing per-diem.

The registration-type removal is the bigger operational risk. Registration types map to specific CFIA establishment licenses and export certificates. If the type your exporter has been declaring no longer exists in AIRS, you’re filing with an orphaned reference. CBSA won’t release the goods until CFIA confirms valid documentation, and that confirmation loop can take days if the mismatch isn’t caught prefiling.

What You Should Do This Week

If you import any of the affected HS codes — beef sausages, canned lamb, pork pâté, anything in 16.01 or 16.02 — send this update to your broker and your foreign suppliers. Ask your broker to confirm they’ve updated their AIRS reference table and their CAD templates. Ask your suppliers to verify that the CFIA export certificate they’re issuing still maps to a valid registration type in the current CFIA AIRS database.

For inbound shipments already in transit, flag any Chapter 16 entries with your broker before the cargo control document hits CBSA. Pre-filing ACI (Advance Commercial Information) gives you a narrow window to catch mismatches before the truck crosses or the container discharges. Once the conveyance reports arrival and CBSA pulls the eManifest, you’re on the clock for release, and a CFIA data error will stop the file cold.

If you’re using an NRI (Non-Resident Importer) structure with a U.S. or European entity as importer of record, make sure your Canadian brokerage team has direct contact with the foreign exporter’s export compliance group. NRI filings already carry higher scrutiny on OGD requirements, and CFIA doesn’t give you the benefit of the doubt when documentation doesn’t align with AIRS.

Cross-Border Meat Movements Under CUSMA

Chapter 16 imports from Mexico and the U.S. often carry CUSMA origin preference claims. The tariff elimination under CUSMA is clean for most meat products, but the CFIA import permit and AIRS registration requirements still apply in full. Removing miscellaneous codes doesn’t change the underlying sanitary certificate or establishment approval requirements, but it does change how your broker codes the entry on the CAD.

If you’ve been claiming CUSMA preference and relying on “Fully Marked” as a streamlined documentation path for U.S. or Mexican beef or pork, that shortcut is gone. Your supplier will need to provide whatever alternate documentation CFIA now expects under the updated AIRS chapter. Confirm that before your next shipment, or you’ll lose both the release timeline and the duty preference if the CAD has to be amended post-release.

AIRS Chapter Updates Are Not Discretionary

CFIA doesn’t issue these updates as recommendations. The moment the chapter publishes, the old codes are invalid for new filings. CBSA’s system validates OGD requirements in real time during CAD submission, and a reference to a deleted code will bounce the file back to the broker.

We update our internal compliance reference tables within 24 hours of a CFIA AIRS publication. If your current broker is still using static templates or hasn’t mentioned this Chapter 16 update, that’s a process gap you need to close.

Detention Risk at the Warehouse

If your Chapter 16 goods discharge at the Port of Montreal or another container terminal and the CAD filing stalls due to CFIA code errors, the container moves to sufferance under CBSA supervision. Depending on your arrangement, that could mean our Montreal sufferance facility or another bonded warehouse. Either way, per-diem and handling fees start accruing immediately, and perishable meat products have a narrow temperature and time window before they’re unsaleable.

Detention and demurrage don’t pause while CFIA and your broker sort out documentation. The steamship line or the rail carrier will bill the importer of record for every day past free time, regardless of the reason for the hold. For a 40-foot reefer container, that’s typically CAD 150–250 per day, and it compounds quickly if the hold runs into a weekend or a statutory holiday.

Next Shipment Checklist

Before your next Chapter 16 meat import crosses the border or discharges at a Canadian port:

• Confirm your broker has updated AIRS Chapter 16 in their reference system.
• Verify that your foreign supplier’s CFIA export certificate matches a valid registration type in the current AIRS table.
• If you’re claiming CUSMA or CETA origin preference, double-check that the certificate of origin and the CFIA documentation align.
• For NRI structures, ensure your Canadian broker has direct communication with the exporter’s compliance contact.
• If the goods are temperature-controlled, confirm contingency storage with your freight partner in case of a release delay.

These updates don’t come with transition periods. The codes are gone, and the next CAD you file has to reflect that.

If your current broker hasn’t flagged this Chapter 16 change or you’re not confident your CFIA documentation process can handle mid-year AIRS updates without release delays, get in touch.

Source: CSCB