The presence of avian influenza in U.S. poultry flocks has prompted the Canadian government to ban travelers from bringing uncooked chicken, turkey, raw eggs and petfood containing poultry that originated in states impacted by avian influenza into Canada.
The ban supplements restrictions on commercial imports of live poultry and raw poultry products from specific quarantine zones from states that have had confirmed outbreaks of avian influenza.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in a notice said it has implemented the measures "to protect Canada's poultry resources from an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza reported in poultry in the states of Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri, Minnesota, California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington."
All raw poultry and all poultry products and byproducts that are not fully cooked that originate from, were processed in or were packaged in those listed states are now illegal to bring into Canada, according to the CFIA.
Examples of restricted items include:
- Live birds and hatching eggs
- Eggs, yolks, egg whites (albumen)
- Poultry meat (other than fully cooked, canned, commercially sterile meat products)
- Raw petfoods containing poultry products
- Feathers
- Poultry manure and litter
- Laboratory material containing poultry products/by-products
Live pet birds may be brought into Canada with official certification from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the CFIA stated.
The regulations are in effect and will remain in place until further notice.
