Meat Shipment CFIA Inspection Status Feature (CBSA)
Last updated 23 July 2026
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| This article is part of the BorderConnect PARS Software Guide |
Background
Meat shipments entering Canada from the United States may be selected for inspection by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). CFIA’s Shipment Tracker helps industry check the inspection status of imports of meat and meat products, and it works for CFIA-regulated imports declared electronically through the Integrated Import Declaration (IID).[1]
When a meat shipment is selected for inspection, the carrier must follow the inspection instructions and report to the facility specified by CFIA, CBSA, the importer, broker, or the designated inspection facility before delivering the shipment to the consignee. The CFIA Shipment Tracker can show whether a shipment was received, requires inspection, was released, or has another transaction status, but it is not a replacement for CBSA’s Release Notification System (RNS).[1]
Carriers can verify CFIA inspection status through CFIA’s Shipment Tracker. The tracker replaced older inspection-status wording and tools that many carriers knew as ASSIST or ASISST, and industry notices have reported that the old Automated Shipment Inspection Status Search Tool URL has been decommissioned.[2] BorderConnect PARS displays the same kind of inspection-status information directly in BorderConnect when it is available.
Checking inspection status in BorderConnect
For users of BorderConnect PARS, meat inspection status can appear inside BorderConnect after the shipment has been released by CBSA and the CFIA inspection decision is available.
The typical workflow is:
- CBSA releases the PARS shipment.
- CFIA inspection status becomes available through CFIA's shipment-status system.
- BorderConnect displays the CFIA inspection result on the shipment and can notify users or drivers.
Inspection status is not normally available before customs release. CFIA explains that importers are advised of the final CBSA decision through an RNS notice, and that the CFIA Shipment Tracker is not a replacement for CBSA RNS.[1]
Prerequisites
- The carrier must be set up with BorderConnect PARS.
- The shipment must be a meat or meat-products shipment where CFIA inspection-status data is available.
- The shipment must have arrived in Canada and been released by CBSA.
- The import declaration must have been transmitted electronically through IID, because CFIA states that Shipment Tracker provides transaction statuses for shipments declared electronically using IID.[1]
- CFIA's shipment-status system must be available and returning a result for the shipment.
For meat shipments, CFIA states that users can search by the 14-digit CBSA transaction number or by the Official Meat Inspection Certificate (OMIC) number.[1] If a transaction number has been reused and multiple meat inspection statuses appear, CFIA advises using the OMIC number to verify the meat inspection status.[1]
Where the status appears
When a meat shipment is released by CBSA, the detailed release notification for the PARS may show whether a CFIA inspection is required and where the inspection is to take place.
Users of BorderConnect's ACI eManifest software can also see the inspection status from the ACI eManifest Details Page or the ACI Shipment Details Page, provided the manifest or shipment is connected to the PARS shipment.
The ACI eManifest Details Page is useful when a manifest has multiple meat shipments, because the user can review the inspection status for multiple shipments from one page.
Automatic notifications
BorderConnect can send a separate notification when CFIA inspection status is retrieved for a PARS shipment.
Users who receive PARS/RNS email notifications, such as through the Receive RNS Status Auto Email Messages setting, can receive an email notification for the CFIA inspection status.
Drivers associated with the PARS may also receive an email or text message if their notification settings are enabled. Drivers can be associated through the ACI eManifest or by entering PARS sequences on their driver profile.
Common CFIA statuses
CFIA Shipment Tracker may return several transaction or inspection-related messages. For example, it may indicate that CFIA has received the declaration, that a CFIA recommendation has been provided to CBSA, that the transaction has been released by CBSA and may be subject to further CFIA inspection, that the transaction was rejected by CFIA, or that no matching transaction has been received.[1]
If Shipment Tracker says the transaction has been released by CBSA, users should still check the inspection status to see whether a meat inspection is required.[1] If a transaction is rejected or refused entry, CFIA advises the broker or importer to refer to their EDI/IID system for details and contact CBSA for additional information where applicable.[1]
Limitations
- If CFIA's shipment-status system is unavailable, BorderConnect cannot retrieve the inspection status.
- CFIA states that Shipment Tracker displays statuses for declarations submitted electronically through IID; non-IID declarations require contacting the National Import Service Centre (NISC).[1]
- CFIA states that inspection status is retained for 90 days, and searches after that timeframe may display that inspection status is not available because the shipment entered Canada more than 90 days ago.[1]
- The inspection-status result is informational. CFIA notes that Shipment Tracker is prepared for the convenience of importers and brokers and has no official sanction; users should consult Canadian acts and regulations for interpreting and applying the law.[1]
- Drivers and dispatchers should follow the inspection instructions from CFIA, CBSA, the importer, broker, or the designated inspection facility.
Troubleshooting
If no CFIA inspection status appears in BorderConnect, confirm that the PARS has been released by CBSA, that the shipment is a meat or meat-products shipment, and that the declaration was transmitted electronically through IID. CFIA says a transaction status cannot be displayed if CFIA does not receive an electronic declaration through IID.[1]
If the 14-digit CBSA transaction number does not return the expected meat inspection status, verify the transaction number and try the OMIC number if available. CFIA specifically recommends using the OMIC number when multiple meat inspection statuses appear for a transaction number that has been used previously.[1]