The Duties Relief Program (DRP) administered by the Canada Border Services Agency was not designed for agriculture goods. It does not provide adequate safeguards to address the potential for diversion into the domestic market that is presented when chicken is imported into Canada for further processing and subsequent re-export. The program duplicates Global Affairs Canada’s Import to Re-export Program (IREP), which was created specifically for agricultural goods and has in place adequate verification and safeguard processes. We have identified the following concerns with respect to the DRP:

• Participants have up to 4 years to re-export the chicken they’ve imported despite Health Canada’s recommendation that frozen poultry be stored for no longer than one year.

• Imported products can be substituted with lower value cuts and even spent fowl.
• Marinated products, which were banned from IREP due to concerns regarding the possible diversion to the domestic market, are permitted under DRP.
• Applicants who have been barred from IREP are eligible to participate in the DRP.

The DRP must institute rules governing the import and re-export of perishable agricultural products that are subject to tariff rate quotas. These changes would include:

• Reducing the allowable time to re-export
• Banning the substitution and marination of imported chicken cuts
• Ensuring applicants who have been barred from the IREP are not be eligible to participate in the DRP
• Requiring participants to submit regular export and inventory reports

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