Import Alert: HPAI restrictions for avian commodities originating from or transiting Gabon 

Issuance Date: May 23, 2022

Effective date: May 14, 2022

Effective May 14, 2022, and until further notice, 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 from Gabon. Any of these commodities originating from or transiting Gabon are prohibited, based on the diagnosis of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in domestic birds. 

Under these restrictions, processed avian products and byproducts originating from or transiting Gabon, 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 Gabon, 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 that originate from or transit Gabon and enter in passenger baggage must: 

• have a thoroughly cooked appearance; 
• 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.

Unprocessed avian products and byproducts originating from or transiting Gabon 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, New York, or the Miami Animal Import Center in Miami, Florida. 

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