Official grain inspection
All grain being exported from Canada in ships must be inspected by the Canadian Grain Commission. This official grain inspection is required by the Canada Grain Act. Shipments to the United States are exempt from this requirement.
As the terminal elevator loads each vessel, a representative from the Canadian Grain Commission:
- collects an official sample every 2000 tonnes during the course of loading
- performs an inspection on every 2000 tonne increment sample
There is a fee for an official grain inspection.
Request an inspection
You must make arrangements with a terminal elevator to handle your grain shipment. The terminal elevator operator must present the Canadian Grain Commission representative onsite at the elevator or nearest regional office or service centre with a form requesting a grain inspection or a loading order for the shipment. The request form or loading order indicates the grade and/or specifications required by the grain purchaser.
If the shipment is going to be graded as a shipment by specification rather than statutory grade, a request form stating the base grade and required specifications must be filled out by the shipper and sent to the regional manager of inspection.
If you would like to request an inspection for grain that is not being exported by vessel, contact the Canadian Grain Commission office nearest you to discuss available services.
Grain inspection results
The Canadian Grain Commission issues a Certificate Final for each export shipment attesting to the quality of the shipment.
If the grain being loaded for export is not assigned the grade indicated on the inspection request form, the Canadian Grain Commission representative will inform elevator staff via a cargo non-conformance report. A cargo non-conformance report indicates that the sample inspected does not meet the specifications indicated on the inspection request form.