09/12/2022
BREAKING: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), after several discussions with waterfowl scientists from Ducks Unlimited (DU), has revised their previous rule banning the import of game birds from Canada.
On September 8, 2022, DU provided science-based information to USDA APHIS to advise their decision to revise import restrictions, while maintaining strong measures to prevent the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Under the new restrictions, unprocessed hunter-harvested wild game bird carcasses, originating from or transiting Canada, must meet the following conditions:
• Viscera, head, neck, feet, skin, and one wing have been removed; and
• Feathers have been removed, with the exception of one wing, as required by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) for species identification; and
• Carcasses must be rinsed in fresh, clean, potable water prior to packaging and must not have visible evidence of contamination with dirt, blood, or f***s; and
• Carcasses must be imported in leak-proof plastic packaging and stored in a leak-proof cooler or container during transport and import; and
• Carcasses must be chilled or frozen during transport and import.
“We appreciate USDA’s willingness to hear the concerns from DU and revise this rule in a practical and scientific manner,” said DU CEO Adam Putnam. “This revision is not only a win for American waterfowlers but also for the application of sound science. Now, waterfowlers who’ve already departed north of the Canadian border have clear guidance on how to limit the spread of HPAI and bring their harvested game birds back into the U.S. safely.”
LEARN MORE: https://www.ducks.org/press-room/du-helps-reverse-import-ban-of-harvested-game-birds-from-canada