
Import Alert: Restrictions on Avian Commodities Originating from or Transiting Uruguay
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service sent this bulletin at 01/31/2025 09:57 AM EST
Import Alert: Restrictions on Avian Commodities Originating from or Transiting Uruguay
Issuance Date: January 31, 2025
8:45 AM, U.S. Eastern
Effective date: December 20, 2024
Effective December 20, 2024, 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 all poultry (as defined by the World Organisation for Animal Health, WOAH) and hatching eggs of poultry, unprocessed avian products and byproducts, and certain fresh poultry products from Uruguay. Importation of any of these commodities originating from or transiting Uruguay is prohibited, based on the uncertainty surrounding Uruguay’s vaccination plans for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in domestic birds. The restrictions on these commodities apply to shipments accompanied by zoo sanitary certificates issued by an official of the competent veterinary authority on or after the effective date.
Live avians: Importation of poultry (as defined by WOAH) and hatching eggs of poultry is prohibited. Zoo birds or unvaccinated pet birds, commercial birds, pigeons, and doves, may continue to be imported in accordance with the current certification, permitting, and quarantine requirements detailed on the APHIS Live Animal Import website.
Unprocessed avian products and by-products (including eggs and egg products; meat; and hunter harvested, non-fully finished avian trophies): Importation of these commodities originating from or transiting Uruguay is prohibited.
- If arriving as cargo, importation is prohibited with limited exceptions. In some cases, unprocessed avian products and by-products can be imported if consigned directly from the port of arrival to an eligible USDA-approved establishment.
- If arriving in passenger baggage, importation is prohibited, except for trophies that are fully taxidermy finished or consigned directly to an eligible USDA-approved establishment.
Fresh, unprocessed shell/table eggs and egg products, void of the shell (for example, liquid eggs and dried egg whites) arriving as cargo: Importation 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 not required for these shipments if they are consigned directly to an APHIS approved establishment.
Processed avian products and by-products (including eggs and egg products):
- If arriving as cargo, must be accompanied by a VS import permit and/or government certification confirming that the products or by-products were treated in accordance with APHIS requirements.
- If arriving in passenger baggage,
- must appear “thoroughly cooked” throughout (applies only to cooked, perishable poultry meat and poultry meat products and/or cooked, perishable egg/egg products intended for human consumption), OR
- must be shelf stable as a result of APHIS-approved packaging and cooking (for example, packed in hermetically sealed containers and fully cooked by a commercial method after such packing to produce articles that are shelf stable without refrigeration), OR
- must be accompanied by a VS import permit and/or government certification confirming that the products or by-products were treated in accordance with APHIS requirements.
More information
More information is available on the APHIS website at the links below.
- Avian Influenza: disease, prevention, and control information.