Import Alert: HPAI restrictions for avian commodities originating from or transiting Kagawa or Fukuoka Prefectures, Japan

Issuance Date: November 25, 2020

Effective date: November 5, 2020 – Kagawa Prefecture

                           November 25, 2020 – Fukuoka Prefecture

Effective November 25, 2020, and until further notice, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Veterinary Services (VS) is adding Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, to the list of regions of Japan affected by HPAI. APHIS is restricting the importation of poultry, commercial birds, ratites, avian hatching eggs, unprocessed avian products and byproducts, and certain fresh poultry products from the Kagawa and Fukuoka Prefectures, Japan.  Any of these commodities originating from or transiting through Kagawa or Fukuoka Prefectures, Japan, are prohibited, based on the diagnosis of highly pathogenic avian influenza in domestic birds.

Under these restrictions, processed avian products and byproducts originating from or transiting Kagawa or Fukuoka Prefectures, Japan, imported as cargo must be accompanied by an APHIS import permit and/or government certification confirming that the products were treated according to APHIS requirements.

Fresh, unprocessed shell/table eggs and other egg products, void of the shell (i.e. liquid eggs, dried egg whites) originating from or transiting Kagawa or Fukuoka Prefectures, Japan, imported as cargo are prohibited unless they are consigned from the port of arrival directly to an APHIS approved breaking and pasteurization facility. An import permit and/or certificate is not required for these shipments when consigned to an APHIS approved establishment.

Processed avian products and byproducts, including egg/egg products, for personal use from or transiting through Kagawa or Fukuoka Prefectures, Japan, which may enter in passenger baggage and does not have a thoroughly cooked appearance, or is not shelf-stable as a result of APHIS approved packaging and cooking (i.e. packaged in hermetically sealed containers and cooked by a commercial method after such packing to produce articles that are shelf stable without refrigeration), must also be accompanied by a APHIS import permit and/or government certification confirming that the products/byproducts were treated according to APHIS requirements.

Unprocessed avian products and byproducts originating from or transiting through Kagawa or Fukuoka Prefectures, Japan, will not be permitted to enter the United States. This includes hunter harvested, non-fully finished avian trophies and meat.

Importation of poultry, commercial birds, ratites, and hatching eggs will be prohibited. However, pet and zoo birds, pigeons and doves, may be imported under an APHIS import permit, and will be subject to a 30-day quarantine at the New York Animal Import Center in Newburgh, NY or the Miami Animal Import Center in Miami, FL.

These restrictions will be updated as additional epidemiological information is obtained. Current information can be found on the APHIS website.

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