APHIS Loosens Trade Restrictions on Unvaccinated Poultry and Ducks From European Countries
USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is reducing trade restrictions on unvaccinated live poultry imports from France and unvaccinated live ducks from the European Poultry Trade (EPTR) region and from the countries of Iceland, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Norway, it said in a Jan. 16 release.
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France had decided to vaccinate commercial meat ducks and some breeding ducks against highly pathogenic avian influenza, popularly known as bird flu. APHIS' trade restrictions, which took effect on Oct. 1, 2023, were in response to France's actions.
APHIS subsequently studied HPAI vaccination practices in France to determine whether the vaccination program would impact the likelihood that unmitigated poultry could enter the U.S. from France or other European countries.
Following that examination, the agency determined that APHIS "can maintain safe agricultural trade with reduced restrictions on these unvaccinated poultry and poultry products/byproducts derived from non-vaccinated flocks," APHIS said. This conclusion aligns with standards set by the World Organisation for Animal Health on the impact of HPAI vaccination on trade, APHIS continued.
The agency determined that the vaccination campaign had not significantly impacted the likelihood of the HPAI virus entering the U.S. for the following import commodities:
- Non-duck poultry, including hatching eggs, from France
- Hatching eggs from France derived from unvaccinated breeding ducks
- Ducks, including day-old ducklings, from France derived from unvaccinated breeding duck flocks with additional validation and confirmation of vaccine status by the French competent authority
- Live ducks (including hatching eggs and day-old ducklings) from other EPTR countries and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries
- Duck products/byproducts from the EPTR countries (except those derived from vaccinated birds that have resided in France) and EFTA countries
- Non-duck poultry products/byproducts from France.
APHIS noted that "vaccinated poultry (including hatching eggs and day-old ducklings derived from vaccinated poultry) and products/byproducts derived from vaccinated poultry will remain ineligible for import. Vaccinated birds may not show signs of HPAI infection, which could lead to the export of infected live animals or virus-contaminated products to the United States."