diff --git a/src/backend/distributed/operations/worker_shard_copy.c b/src/backend/distributed/operations/worker_shard_copy.c
index ab20aed5d..e5ea30f03 100644
--- a/src/backend/distributed/operations/worker_shard_copy.c
+++ b/src/backend/distributed/operations/worker_shard_copy.c
@@ -78,6 +78,7 @@ static bool ShouldSendCopyNow(StringInfo buffer);
 static int ReadFromLocalBufferCallback(void *outBuf, int minRead, int maxRead);
 static void LocalCopyToShard(ShardCopyDestReceiver *copyDest, CopyOutState
 							 localCopyOutState);
+static void ConnectToRemoteAndStartCopy(ShardCopyDestReceiver *copyDest);
 
 static bool
 CanUseLocalCopy(uint64 destinationNodeId)
@@ -98,6 +99,37 @@ ShouldSendCopyNow(StringInfo buffer)
 	return buffer->len > LocalCopyFlushThresholdByte;
 }
 
+static void
+ConnectToRemoteAndStartCopy(ShardCopyDestReceiver *copyDest)
+{
+	int connectionFlags = OUTSIDE_TRANSACTION;
+	char *currentUser = CurrentUserName();
+	WorkerNode *workerNode = FindNodeWithNodeId(copyDest->destinationNodeId,
+												false /* missingOk */);
+	copyDest->connection = GetNodeUserDatabaseConnection(connectionFlags,
+															workerNode->workerName,
+															workerNode->workerPort,
+															currentUser,
+															NULL /* database (current) */);
+	ClaimConnectionExclusively(copyDest->connection);
+
+	StringInfo copyStatement = ConstructCopyStatement(
+		copyDest->destinationShardFullyQualifiedName,
+		copyDest->copyOutState->binary);
+
+	if (!SendRemoteCommand(copyDest->connection, copyStatement->data))
+	{
+		ReportConnectionError(copyDest->connection, ERROR);
+	}
+
+	PGresult *result = GetRemoteCommandResult(copyDest->connection, true /* raiseInterrupts */);
+	if (PQresultStatus(result) != PGRES_COPY_IN)
+	{
+		ReportResultError(copyDest->connection, result, ERROR);
+	}
+
+	PQclear(result);
+}
 
 static bool
 ShardCopyDestReceiverReceive(TupleTableSlot *slot, DestReceiver *dest)
@@ -112,24 +144,10 @@ ShardCopyDestReceiverReceive(TupleTableSlot *slot, DestReceiver *dest)
 	MemoryContext executorTupleContext = GetPerTupleMemoryContext(executorState);
 	MemoryContext oldContext = MemoryContextSwitchTo(executorTupleContext);
 
-	/* Create connection lazily */
+	/* If remote copy, connect lazily and initiate copy */
 	if (copyDest->tuplesSent == 0 && (!copyDest->useLocalCopy))
 	{
-		int connectionFlags = OUTSIDE_TRANSACTION;
-		char *currentUser = CurrentUserName();
-		WorkerNode *workerNode = FindNodeWithNodeId(copyDest->destinationNodeId,
-													false /* missingOk */);
-		copyDest->connection = GetNodeUserDatabaseConnection(connectionFlags,
-															 workerNode->workerName,
-															 workerNode->workerPort,
-															 currentUser,
-															 NULL /* database (current) */);
-		ClaimConnectionExclusively(copyDest->connection);
-
-		StringInfo copyStatement = ConstructCopyStatement(
-			copyDest->destinationShardFullyQualifiedName,
-			copyDest->copyOutState->binary);
-		ExecuteCriticalRemoteCommand(copyDest->connection, copyStatement->data);
+		ConnectToRemoteAndStartCopy(copyDest);
 	}
 
 	slot_getallattrs(slot);
@@ -148,8 +166,13 @@ ShardCopyDestReceiverReceive(TupleTableSlot *slot, DestReceiver *dest)
 	else
 	{
 		FmgrInfo *columnOutputFunctions = copyDest->columnOutputFunctions;
-
 		resetStringInfo(copyOutState->fe_msgbuf);
+
+		if (copyDest->copyOutState->binary && copyDest->tuplesSent == 0)
+		{
+			AppendCopyBinaryHeaders(copyDest->copyOutState);
+		}
+
 		AppendCopyRowData(columnValues, columnNulls, copyDest->tupleDescriptor,
 						  copyOutState, columnOutputFunctions,
 						  NULL /* columnCoercionPaths */);
@@ -159,9 +182,13 @@ ShardCopyDestReceiverReceive(TupleTableSlot *slot, DestReceiver *dest)
 			char *destinationShardSchemaName = linitial(copyDest->destinationShardFullyQualifiedName);
 			char *destinationShardRelationName = lsecond(copyDest->destinationShardFullyQualifiedName);
 
+			char *errorMessage = PQerrorMessage(copyDest->connection->pgConn);
+
 			ereport(ERROR, (errcode(ERRCODE_IO_ERROR),
-							errmsg("Failed to COPY to shard %s.%s,",
-								   destinationShardSchemaName,destinationShardRelationName ),
+							errmsg("Failed to COPY to shard %s.%s : %s,",
+								   destinationShardSchemaName,
+								   destinationShardRelationName,
+								   errorMessage),
 							errdetail("failed to send %d bytes %s on node %u",
 									  copyOutState->fe_msgbuf->len,
 									  copyOutState->fe_msgbuf->data,
@@ -310,7 +337,7 @@ ConstructCopyStatement(List *destinationShardFullyQualifiedName, bool useBinaryF
 
 	if (useBinaryFormat)
 	{
-		appendStringInfo(command, "WITH (format binary);");
+		appendStringInfo(command, " WITH (format binary);");
 	}
 	else
 	{