Import Alert: Import Restrictions on Canada due to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza 

Import Alert: Import Restrictions on Canada due to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza 

Issuance date: November 26, 2024 

 2:28 pm, U.S. Eastern 

Newly restricted zone(s) 

Effective dates:  

November 12, 2024 – PCZ-242 in British Columbia 

November 12, 2024 – PCZ-243 in Alberta 

November 14, 2024 – PCZ-245 in Alberta 

Newly released zone(s) 

None 

Effective on the date(s) listed above, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is updating its list of zones in Canada that are subject to restrictions on the importation of certain avian commodities.  

The updated list of currently restricted zones is provided below. Importation into the United States of poultry, commercial birds, ratites, avian hatching eggs, unprocessed avian products and byproducts, and certain fresh poultry products originating from or transiting these zone(s) is prohibited: 

PCZ 236 in British Columbia 

PCZ 237 in British Columbia 

PCZ-238 in Saskatchewan 

PCZ-239 in British Columbia 

PCZ-240 in British Columbia 

PCZ-241 in British Columbia 

PCZ-242 in British Columbia 

PCZ-243 in Alberta 

PCZ-245 in Alberta 

APHIS imposed these restrictions due to the diagnosis of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in domestic birds in Canada. Maps of the restricted zones are available on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) highly pathogenic avian influenza zones webpage. 

APHIS lifts its import restrictions on zones in Canada after they have met World Organisation for Animal Health criteria for recovery of HPAI free status described in Article 10.4.6 of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code. 

All pet birds, zoo birds, and Columbiformes must be accompanied by a health certificate endorsed by the CFIA. Pet birds and Columbiformes entering the United States by air, and all zoo birds, must have an APHIS-issued import permit. An import permit is not required for pet birds and Columbiformes entering the United States by land if they do not originate from or transit a restricted zone, except pet birds transiting through Canada from the lower 48 States to Alaska. 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; they may not enter by land. 

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 in accordance with APHIS requirements. 

Fully finished, non-shelf stable and/or non-commercially packaged and labeled food products containing pasteurized egg/egg product ingredients, originating from or transiting all of Canada must be accompanied by an APHIS import permit. 

Importation of fresh, unprocessed shell/table eggs and other egg products, void of the shell (i.e., liquid eggs and dried egg whites), originating from or transiting a restricted zone, imported as cargo, is 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 if they are consigned to an APHIS-approved establishment.