22111 Agricultural and fish products inspectors

What this occupation covers

Agricultural and fish products inspectors inspect agricultural and fish products for conformity to prescribed production, storage and transportation standards. They are employed by government departments and agencies and by private sector food processing companies. Supervisors of agricultural and fish products inspectors are also included in this unit group.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 5 main duties for this code.

• Inspect fish, fish products, fish handling and processing methods and prepare reports and ensure that regulations are followed.
• Inspect fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables at inspection centres and prepare reports on crop production and market conditions.
• Inspect and grade all classes of grain at terminal elevators, monitor the fumigation of infested grain, and examine storage, handling and transportation equipment to ensure that sanitary procedures are followed.
• Monitor the operations and sanitary conditions of slaughtering and meat processing plants and inspect carcasses to ensure they are fit for human consumption.
• Certify seed crops, oversee the quarantine, treatment or destruction of plants and plant products, and the fumigation of plants and plant product imports and exports.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 5 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 22110 Biological technologists and technicians
• 94143 Testers and graders, food and beverage processing
• 22112 Forestry technologists and technicians
• 21120 Public and environmental health and safety professionals

Excluded from this code

• Biological technologists and technicians (See 22110 Biological technologists and technicians)
• Fish grader (See 94143 Testers and graders, food and beverage processing)
• Forestry technologists and technicians (See 22112 Forestry technologists and technicians)
• Meat grader (See 94143 Testers and graders, food and beverage processing)
• Public and environmental health and safety professionals (See 21120 Public and environmental health and safety professionals)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

agricultural products inspection supervisor · agricultural products inspector · animal health inspector · animal primary products inspector · assistant grain inspector · bread inspector · butter inspector · contagious animal disease prevention inspector · cream inspector · crop certification inspector · dairy products inspector · fish and fish products inspector · fish inspector · fish inspector-grader · fish products inspection supervisor · fish products inspector · flour inspector · food products inspector · fruit and vegetable inspection centre supervisor · fruit and vegetables inspector · fruit inspector · grain inspection supervisor · grain inspector · inspector of perishable goods

Employment requirements

• Completion of secondary school is required.
• Government inspectors usually require a bachelor's degree or college diploma in agriculture, biology, chemistry, food processing technology or a related discipline.
• Inspectors (other than government) may require a bachelor's degree or college diploma in a related discipline.
• Several years of experience in agricultural production or fish processing are usually required.
• Completion of in-house training courses is required.