South Sudan Added to ASF Secondary Control Zone — Feed Ingredient Import Permit Now Required

South Sudan joins the ASF secondary control zone list

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency added the Republic of South Sudan to the secondary control zone list under the Order Imposing Conditions in Relation to Secondary Control Zones in Respect of African Swine Fever. If you import plant-based feed ingredients intended for livestock feed from South Sudan, you now need a CFIA import permit before CBSA will release the goods.

This is not a total ban. It’s a permit-gating requirement. The change went into effect when the amending order was published, so any shipments arriving after that date are subject to the new rule.

What the secondary control zone designation means

African swine fever is a viral disease that affects domestic and wild pigs. It doesn’t infect humans, but it’s devastating to herd health and trade. CFIA divides the world into primary control zones (countries with active ASF outbreaks) and secondary control zones (countries neighboring or sharing trade corridors with primary zones, where cross-contamination risk is elevated).

Secondary control zone status is less restrictive than primary, but it still triggers import controls for feed ingredients. The concern is that plant-based feed material sourced near infected regions could carry viral particles if contaminated by infected swine during harvest, transport, or processing.

South Sudan’s addition to Appendix 3.2 of the ASF order means CFIA now treats feed shipments from that country the same way it treats feed from other secondary zones. You file for a permit, CFIA evaluates the origin facility and the processing controls, and if everything checks out, you get the permit. Without it, your shipment sits at the port until CFIA either issues one retroactively (rare, slow) or you arrange re-export.

What happens at the border

This is an Other Government Department requirement, not a customs duty or classification issue. CBSA won’t assess the CAD or collect the import GST until CFIA clears the shipment for entry. If you file the CAD without the required import permit, CBSA’s system flags the OGD hold and the goods don’t release.

PARS, RMD, release prior to payment — none of those release mechanisms override a CFIA hold. The CAD might post as “accounting complete” in the CARM portal, but the cargo control document stays in hold status until CFIA lifts the flag. Your trucker can’t pick it up, and dwell time starts running.

If you’re working with a customs broker who files on a regular cycle, they’ll spot the missing permit at pre-clearance and flag it before filing. If you’re self-filing or using a broker who doesn’t pre-screen OGD requirements, you find out about the problem after the shipment lands, which costs you days.

The permit application itself

CFIA’s import permit system for feed ingredients is straightforward if you have the supplier documentation in order. You need proof of the country of origin, processing facility details, and a description of the feed material that matches the tariff classification. CFIA evaluates whether the facility is on an approved list and whether the processing controls meet Canadian standards for ASF risk mitigation.

Typical turnaround for a clean application is five to ten business days, assuming CFIA doesn’t need to verify the foreign facility’s status with the exporting country’s veterinary authority. If the facility isn’t already on CFIA’s approved list, expect longer. If you’re importing a large volume or a new supplier, apply early.

The permit ties to a specific shipment or a time window, depending on how you structure the application. One-time permits are common for spot buys. If you have a regular supplier shipping the same feed ingredient monthly, you can apply for a standing permit that covers multiple shipments over a defined period, which cuts down on the administrative load.

South Sudan isn’t a major feed origin for Canadian importers

This update won’t affect many shipments. South Sudan isn’t a significant exporter of plant-based livestock feed to Canada. The volume is small, and most Canadian feed importers source from the U.S., Europe, or South America.

But the update is a reminder that CFIA’s ASF control zone lists change as the disease spreads or as neighboring countries improve or lose their disease-free status. If you import feed ingredients from anywhere in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, or Southeast Asia, you should be checking CFIA’s current ASF appendices every quarter. A country that didn’t require a permit last year might require one this year, and if your supply chain team isn’t tracking the changes, you find out about it when the shipment gets held.

The broader ASF import control framework

South Sudan’s addition is part of a larger set of standing orders CFIA has in place to prevent ASF from entering Canada through imported animal products, feed, and biologics. The primary control zone list includes countries with confirmed ASF outbreaks (China, Vietnam, parts of the EU, Russia, several African countries). The secondary control zone list includes neighbors and trade-corridor countries where the contamination risk is elevated but not confirmed.

The permit requirements vary by commodity. Pork and pork products from primary control zones face import bans. Feed ingredients from secondary control zones face permit requirements. The framework updates as CFIA gets new epidemiological data from the World Organisation for Animal Health and from exporting countries’ veterinary authorities.

If you’re importing feed, the easiest way to stay current is to treat CFIA OGD requirements as part of your trade compliance checklist for every new supplier or new origin country. Don’t assume that because a shipment cleared six months ago, the next one will clear the same way. Check the current appendices, confirm the permit status, and build the lead time into your purchase order.

What to do if you have a South Sudan feed shipment inbound

If you have a shipment of plant-based feed ingredients from South Sudan arriving in the next few weeks and you don’t already have a CFIA import permit, file the application now. Don’t wait until the cargo is in transit. CFIA won’t expedite the review just because the shipment is already on the water.

If the shipment has already landed and CBSA flagged it for a CFIA hold, contact CFIA’s import service centre and explain the situation. They’ll tell you whether you can apply for a retroactive permit or whether you need to re-export. Re-export is expensive (you’re paying drayage, port storage, and possibly detention), but it’s faster than waiting for CFIA to issue a permit for a shipment that’s already non-compliant.

Most CFIA holds I see at the port are the result of importers not knowing the permit requirement existed, not refusal to comply. CFIA understands that, and if the shipment itself is low-risk and the supplier is willing to provide the documentation, they’ll usually work with you. But the hold doesn’t lift until the permit issue is resolved, and every day the container sits costs money.

If you’re not sure whether your inbound feed ingredients fall under the ASF control zone rules, that’s a question your broker should be able to answer in about five minutes by checking the HS classification against CFIA’s current D-memo and appendix lists. If they can’t, you’re working with the wrong broker. Get in touch.

Source: CSCB