Import Alert: HPAI Restrictions on Avian Commodities Originating from or Transiting Zones in Ontario, Alberta, and Quebec, Canada

Import Alert: HPAI Restrictions on Avian Commodities Originating from or Transiting Zones in Ontario, Alberta, and Quebec, Canada

Issuance date:              September 13, 2022     

Effective dates:            April 7, 2022—PCZ-06 in Ontario

April 10, 2022—PCZ-09 in Ontario

April 22, 2022—PCZ-33 in Ontario

April 29, 2022—PCZ-45 in Ontario

May 4, 2022—PCZ-55 in Ontario

May 5, 2022—PCZ-58 in Ontario

June 28, 2022—PCZ-73 in Quebec

July 21, 2022—PCZ-74 in Quebec

July 28, 2022—PCZ-75 in Alberta

August 1, 2022—PCZ-76 in Quebec

August 23, 2022—PCZ-77 in Alberta

Effective on the date listed above (in bold) and until further notice, and as previously announced (non-bold), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Veterinary Services (VS) is restricting the importation of poultry, commercial birds, ratites, avian hatching eggs, unprocessed avian products and byproducts, and certain fresh poultry products originating from or transiting 6 zones in Ontario (PCZ-6, PCZ-9, PCZ-33, PCZ-45, PCZ-55, and PCZ-58); 2 zones in Alberta (PCZ-75 and PCZ-77); and 3 zones in Quebec (PCZ-73, PCZ-74, and PCZ-76). Any of these commodities originating from or transiting a restricted zone are prohibited, based on the diagnosis of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in domestic birds.

Maps of the Ontario, Alberta, and Quebec zones are available on the CFIA Avian Influenza Zones website.

Also previously announced, effective December 19, 2021, APHIS requires a health certificate from the CFIA and an import permit for pet and zoo birds, as well as columbiformes, such as pigeons and doves, imported from Canada.

Pet birds, zoo birds, and columbiformes originating from or transiting a restricted zone must be flown directly to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York or Miami International Airport in Florida, to undergo a 30-day federal quarantine that includes mandatory testing.

Under these restrictions, processed avian products and byproducts originating from or transiting a restricted zone, 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 a restricted zone, 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/are not required for these shipments when consigned to an APHIS-approved establishment.

Processed avian products and byproducts, including egg/egg products, for personal use originating from or transiting a restricted zone and entering in passenger baggage must:

• have a thoroughly cooked appearance; and
• be 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); or
• be accompanied by an APHIS import permit and/or government certification confirming that the products/byproducts were treated according to APHIS requirements.

Hunter-harvested wild game bird meat and carcasses must meet the conditions outlined in the APHIS Import Alert issued September 13, 2022, which can be found on the Temporary Restrictions List as “Canada- Hunter Harvested Wild Game Bird Carcasses”.

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

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