Importing Semen from USA to Canada, who did it this year?

[Celebrity]

With the new laws regarding importing semen from the United States into Canada, I was wondering who decided to breed to a U.S stallion and how the shipping went? Any Good/Bad stories to share? I decided to breed within Canada this year and let the more brave (and more financially able) breeders try it out first.

[Hi Jump]

I work with a reproductive centre where issues are certainly cropping up from US based semen not being accompanied by meticulous paperwork resulting in it being turned back and delayed until the issue is absolved, too late for the cycle. That works both ways as customs requires specific paperwork both ways crossing the border and we ship from Canada regularly with required paperwork .

Lisa, Synergy Sporthorses
http://www.synergysporthorses.net

[dadedt]

US - MI to Canada no problem - frozen semen
USDA vet in Lansing - great to work with

Shipment sent - received next day in Canada.


No problems.

[Formosus]

Few experience(3) so far this year.
For the most part no trouble (no delays): but it really helps if
a) stallion owner or repro center stay on top of it (follow it with tracking number)
b) stallion owner or repro center shipping semen keeps copies of all document as sometime they go "missing" in transit. A quick fax to the custom officer and all is well again.;)

[showjumpers66]

We have shipped to Canada a few times this year and so far so good. It is not easy, but we are making it work. A mare owner in Canada told me today that there are more restrictions at the border as of June 1st, but I need to confirm that with USDA tomorrow.

[arizonard]

There are new restrictions. I had a semen shipment coming with FedEx this week. Thankfully it was frozen because FedEx could not broker it like they always have before, I had to drive down to clear the shipment through frozen IN PERSON. Apparently this is the new rule. To add to this, they told me I could not get it through customs without a registered business number. I told them about the time crunch for our mare in heat to be bred, and they let me take it without. They said next time I absolutely had to have one. This whole process took about 3-4 hours, plus driving time each way. Unreal!

[arizonard]

Oh and I should add our paperwork (permits) were letter perfect - it had nothing to do with that.

[Edgar]

15 plus shipments and 2 issues with delay so not bad. It helps if the receiving party supplys an RN number and signs the FEDEX power of attorney to clear it and if it is held for pick up it is most reliable although we had house deliverys on time. The problem is when there is a clearance delay, it may not make the delivery truck so it sits til next day or pick up.

[ASBJumper]

To add to this, they told me I could not get it through customs without a registered business number.

Can you elaborate on this??? Are you saying that if I'm not a "business", I'm not allowed to breed my mare to a US stallion?? :eek: :eek:

[Edgar]

It is not true because we shipped most without and with no problems, but I also heard this and apparently it is not hard to get an RN number.

[Royal Monaco]

I hope everything will be ok for me this time cause last heat, SO arrived after 5pm at the fedex desk and they refused the semen saying that biological packagse have to be registered before 5pm. I decided to cancel the shipping as I would have had 3 days old semen with a mare that had already ovulated...

I have to order semen today, SO owner will collect tomorrow and hopefully I will get my semen with no problems on thursday.

I'll keep you posted. I'll also give a call to CFIA to see what de business number is.

[Sunnydays]

Had a shipment of frozen, Florida to Ontario.
It was delayed at customs due to errors by the Repro clinic who handled the shipping. First, they were late getting it out, as they did not start the process in a timely manner. Second, they got the destination address wrong. Third, they forgot to include the Import Permit from CFIA. It took time for them to find this, and then Fedex to Cdn customs (2 days), during which time we corrected the destnation address. Fourth, they sent in a cryodrum which did not keep the frozen at the proper temperature, so that by the time it was finally received at my clinic, the semen was compromised. Cycle was missed.
My vet does not trust the cryodrum for cross-border shipping.

[Galileo1998]

I know someone else that had semen get held up within the last week because of the need for a business number. I think this is a new rule that not many people seem to know about.

[showjumpers66]

That is what I heard, too. That it is a new change as of June 1st. I am shipping to Canada today, so we will see what I find out.

[Edgar]

No, because 4 of 5 shipments we did last week did not have an RN number and although I do recommend it they all made it.

[Edgar]

Sunnydays, that was the repro clinics fault. I shipped Frozen semen in a cryodrum to PEI last week and it made it fine. If the shipper does not do it right it is not going to work right!

[Royal Monaco]

I called CFIA today and asked about the business number and he said it was not necessary for semen.

He said it is probably something misunderstood by the Border Agency regarding the new rules because CFIA does not require a business number.

[Galiba]

:winkgrin:
I am a go-getter person, so I shipped the semen myself from the US. That caused some customs officers bending over with laughter, when they asked if I have tobacco or alcohol with me. I said "No, but I have some semen in my car" - hubby blushed a bit beside me.
Having all required paperwork (CFIA, USDA) I paid GST/PST, and off we went. They did not even look at the container. 25-30 minutes with the line-up.
Mare just checked pregnant yesterday...

[Mozart]

I receieved frozen from Florida, there was some initial delay with my import permit getting there via Canada Post Xpress post. Was supposed to take 3-5 days..took 9 days. The postal clerk neglected to tell me that once the package gets to US soil they can't control how long it takes. So Xpress post within Canada is guaranteed 3-5 days, to US...who knows. Had I known that I would have couriered the document.

Then there was some delay at the clinic in getting the USDA vet's signature in a timely fashion. Once it was finally shipped though, all went well, except for the fact that it sat in customs for a few days due to a long weekend. Fortunately, it was frozen and container was sufficiently charged for at least 10 days.

Then, paperwork (including breeding certificate and thawing directions) were separated from container and I had to contact clinic to get the thawing directions.

None of the above is the fault of the SO, so I am not laying any blame on them. Moral of the story though...start early and have documents couriered....

[showjumpers66]

The first shipment I sent this week went through without a hitch, but the second shipment was held up at the border. Customs is telling the mare owner that as of June 1st, that the receiver needs to go down in person to clear the shipment. The paperwork was complete and correct, so I am not sure why there was a problem with one and not the other.

[Royal Monaco]

Semen was collected yesterday, picked up by fedex at the end of the day. I went to the airport this morning. It took 30 minutes to clear the package. Went back home.

So absolutely no problem.

The only problem was that the follicle matured faster than what we expected so we are crossing toes and fingers and are praying the fertility fairy for a little embryo !

[acottongim]

I don't know which is worse - shipping the semen or shipping the horse! I just got all the paperwork in order (we'll see if it is right... sigh) to ship my stallion north. He leaves this weekend (I'll be in the trailer with him) and goes to Toronto area. We'll see what happens, but the red tape is unbelievable LOL.

[showjumpers66]

Found out that the shipment was held up the border due to a Fed-ex employee taking out the health certificate and permit so that the paperwork did not make it to customs with the shipment. Preparing a shipment for Canada literally takes me a solid 8 hours from start to finish, so to have that work and the mare owner's expense be for not is very frustrating.

[Equine Reproduction]

Found out that the shipment was held up the border due to a Fed-ex employee taking out the health certificate and permit so that the paperwork did not make it to customs with the shipment.

In a recent discussion on the subject with USDA-Aphis, we were told that the biggest problem that they (Aphis) are seeing with semen not getting into Canada successfully is the paperwork being lost out of the courier envelope attached to the side of the container. Of course, actually removing the paperwork and not replacing it would have the same effect!

The FedEx tag (the big ones to which the sticky document envelope is attached) indicate that the opening of the envelope should be at the distal end from the container (i.e. the end opposite to the portion attached to the container). Logic dictates that this causes the opening to hang down, and if it is opened and not resealed for any reason, the paperwork is going to fall out. In discussion with various FedEx drivers, it was agreed that this (the direction) doesn't make much sense, and we now put the envelope on in the direction opposite to that which is indicated - in other words, the opening is towards the handle on the Equitainer. So far (fingers crossed!) this has not proved an issue for our shipments, however it should be noted that we use waybills generated from our FedEx account on-line, and these carry a bar code and do not require removal of a copy (just scanning by FedEx), so it may be that it's not a problem with that type of waybill, but could be a problem with the hand-written ones.

We too have had multiple shipments of semen to Canada this year, and to date, no major delays. the biggest problem we had actually was when Canada Customs didn't bother to clear the shipment through CFIA, and released it to FedEx for delivery, and FedEx then (by the time the shipment got to the delivery depot) realized the error and had to fax all the paperwork back to Customs for proper clearance!

Hope this helps

[showjumpers66]

Second shipment delayed in a week due to Fed-ex employees taking the permit and health certificate out and not sending it with the shipment. This time I had put the paperwork in an envelope with "Fed-ex employees, do not remove this paperwork from the shipping envelope. It is required for clearance at customs." in big letters with a Sharpie.

This is also the first time that they would not clear the shipment due to the GST business number. The mare owner had one and I included it, but it wasn't activated. Also, this was the first shipment that I have dealt with that required the mare owner to have a power of attorney for Fed-ex to clear the shipment on their behalf. I was told that this was a new requirement.

A Power of Attorney (POA) or form letter, authorizing FedEx/Broker to clear the shipment on behalf of the importer, is required for clearance. Importer must provide a Power of Attorney (POA) or a form letter authorizing FedEx/Broker to clear shipment.

[showjumpers66]

Just got off the phone with Fed-ex and customs in Toronto. They have informed me that they have to have the hard copies of the permit and health certificate which has to be approved by customs before the shipment gets to customs, so they are "stripping" the paperwork from the shipments. Once the paperwork is approved, then the shipment goes to customs to be cleared. The problem is that employees are sending the paperwork to the wrong departments. The shipment goes to customs, but since the paperwork isn't with it, it gets sent back. Nice! :no: :no: :no:

Because they have changed how they process the paperwork, the supervisor told me that no horse semen shipments will make the delivery trucks for same day shipments and the only way for the mare owners to receive the shipments same day is to pick it up themselves at customs.

[Forte]

Yikes, what a nightmare!
I sure am glad I chose to go with frozen semen that was already here in Canada. I'll keep my fingers crossed for all you Canadian breeders who are still awaiting shipments from the US.

[Edgar]

"Because they have changed how they process the paperwork, the supervisor told me that no horse semen shipments will make the delivery trucks for same day shipments and the only way for the mare owners to receive the shipments same day is to pick it up themselves at customs."

We have had no problem with shipments held for pick up which is what we recommend and even several address deliveries in Ontario however it is true that if there is a clearance delay the delivery truck may leave before its cleared

If they lose the paperwork you can have USDA fax it and also I recomend you wipe carbon over the USDA embossement and copy everything before sending it with the shipment

[ElegantExpressionsFarm]

I had the first few shipments sent to me with no issues (In March)...Unfortunately my mares didn't catch then. So, when I had it sent again I had the CFIA and USDA paperwork (yet again) sent with the delivery. (As per the CFIA directions) The shipment was held up at the border because FedEx didn't process it. They said I needed to have a RN number and that I had to sign over a power of attorney to have it released (which I didn’t need for the prior shipments). I did that within the hour they contacted me, what they didn’t tell me was it had already missed the truck to my area and that if I wanted it I could come pick it up (by the time they offered this it was 4:00pm and they closed at 5:00pm; I live 1 ½ hours away!) So that was a day late. Then when I was going to have the next mare bred, we yet again had all the paperwork required sent with the shipment (along with the additional new information required) and it was still held up a day at customs!! They said there was nothing they could do about it, they could see all the proper paperwork was there, but the person in charge of releasing the shipment wasn’t there to do it. So that shipment was late as well and we missed the mare!!

I decided to stop trying this year because it was too much of a gambol with the protocol always changing (that and I didn’t want my mares bred that late in the season). I am hopeful things will get better by next season and look forward to breeding my mares then!! …I did manage to get one mare in foal!! I am VERY excited for that foal!!

Best wishes to all (stallion owners and breeders) with what ever you choose to do!!

[showjumpers66]

That is exactly the experience that we had with 2 of the 3 shipments this week. After speaking with the supervisor there in Toronto, she said that going forward none of the semen will make it out on the delivery trucks that same day due to the new way that they had to process the paperwork, but that it could be picked up by the mare owners. It is a headache all the way around for sure!

Good tips, Edgar!

[acottongim]

This is EXACTLY why I sent the stallion north instead of the semen. I had a few people that wanted him and it was easier and better/cheaper to send him than to try and ship semen. And even THAT was a nightmare.

Honestly I'm not sure how y'all are doing it unless you are hand delievering the paperwork to the federal vets in your state to be endorsed/certified. I would have to go through G'ville or Miami (3 1/2 and 16 hours respectively) to get that done - or fed ex overnight. Then the prob comes up that the G'ville peopel are down to one person for another week.... ask me how I know LOL.

We made it through the border with my horse but it was a major hassle to get it all together.

[crestline]

A HUGE HUGE HUGE thank you to Barb and Edgar who both let me pick their brains this week on the Canadian pitfalls that they found before I shipped ours. I'm very happy to report that our shipment (held for pickup at a FEDEX location near Toronto) made it through no problem and mare was a 48 and ready to go....THANK GOD!

Really appreciate both you guys sharing your war stories so my shipment could be spared some of the drama.

So I do have to tell my funny story as I don't know if all the USDA offices are like this... My clients called for collection at 4:30 pm so their office was closed. I call at 7:30 am to notify the USDA vet that we are collecting and will be heading that way with paperwork. The gal on the phone tells me, "oh, we're booked up today...it looks like our next appt is late next week"....uuummmmm....WHAT....so I started to politely explain that you couldn't really fully schedule a mare to ovulate and that I was really desperate that they slip me in. Of course they do but had to give me a lecture about how I should have made a few appts for the days I thought I would be collecting. That seems crazy to me...I'm going to call and ask for an appt on M, T, W and Th just so I can be sure I've got an appt for whatever day the mare decides to be ready...seems crazy. At any rate, they did slip us in and were pretty nice about it. I'm just happy all went through with no problems....and probably all due to Barb and Edgar's helpful advice!!! ...and have to thank Kathy for having the protocol easily accessable on her website...it really helped for quick reference!

[showjumpers66]

You're welcome, Andrea!

:lol: I don't know how I am doing it either! It literally takes me 8 hours to handle a Canadian shipment ... 1 hour for the paperwork, 1 1/2 hours to collect and process semen and to clean up, 5 hours of travel time, and 1/2 hour at the USDA office. Of course, the work at home doesn't go away, so it makes for really long days.

Honestly I'm not sure how y'all are doing it unless you are hand delievering the paperwork to the federal vets in your state to be endorsed/certified. I would have to go through G'ville or Miami (3 1/2 and 16 hours respectively) to get that done - or fed ex overnight. Then the prob comes up that the G'ville peopel are down to one person for another week.... ask me how I know LOL.

[acottongim]

crestline - I'll give you the reason in ONE word... BUEACRACY (sp?). They are so crazy insane on that stuff.

It took me THREE tries to get the paperwork correct for Canada to get Tate across the border and even then I know it wasn't correct we just got lucky on who was standing there processing it all.

For anyone that is wanting to ship a HORSE across you have to have the international health cert endorsed, a second page letter with "page 2 of 2: The horse xxx was inspected by xxx, a licensed vet, on day xxx. This is the second page of health certificate xxx" then there are 7 points that you literally just copy and paste word for word (bad grammer/spelling and all) even if it makes no sense for the horse in question and that letter must be endorsed. My vet had ad libbed the letter to make it appropriate for Tate but covered every single point. They don't care. They aren't looking for what it says, they are looking for what is familiar...

Here is the CRAZY part - they never looked at the actuall horse at the border! I could have had 6 more horses in the trailer, I could have been smuggling anything in and they never would have known. Intead of a bay stallion it could have been a palomino mare for all they knew. FL was stricter about the coggins/health cert than the border was!

[Edgar]

Your a pro now Andrea!
We had one address delivery get there 11:43 this morning in Harrow Ontario and today 2 address deliveries going out and 1 hold so we will see but it should be fine...

[Edgar]

and # 4 late order for the day to Beaverton, Ontario

[Edgar]

Looks like all 4 made it, one address delivery had a delay but the breeder picked it up.