Live Animal Imports: Poultry

1. Regulation (EU) 2016/429 (‘Animal Health Law’) and Regulation (EU) 2020/692 provide the rules for the entry into the Union of poultry.

2. Definitions:

Poultry: birds that are reared or kept in captivity for:

(a) the production of meat, eggs for consumption or other products, or

(b) restocking supplies of game birds, or

(c) the purpose of breeding of birds used for the purposes in point (a).

Breeding poultry: Poultry 72 hours old or more, intended for the production of hatching eggs

Productive poultry: Poultry 72 hours old or more, reared for the production of meat, eggs for consumption or other products or for restocking supplies of game birds;

Day-old chicks (DoC): means poultry less than 72 hours old

Flock:all poultry or captive birds of the same health status kept on the same premises or in the same enclosure and constituting a single epidemiological unit; in housed poultry, this includes all birds sharing the same airspace.

1. Poultry must comply with the general import conditions for live animals on Live Animal Imports

2. The list of countries, territories or parts thereof authorised for the export of live poultry are laid down in Annex V of Regulation (EU) 2021/404.

3. Consignments of poultry must come from an establishment approved by the competent authority of the third country.

4. Consignments of poultry shall only be permitted to enter into the Union if the animals of the consignment come from establishments:

(a) within a 10 km radius of which, including, where appropriate, the territory of a neighbouring country, there has been no outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza or infection with Newcastle disease virus during the period of at least 30 days prior to the date of loading for dispatch to the Union;

(b) in which no confirmed case of infection with low pathogenic avian influenza viruses has been reported during the period of at least 21 days prior to the date of loading for dispatch to the Union.

5. Consignments of poultry shall only come from flocks which are not vaccinated against HPAI.

6. If the flock of origin is vaccinated against Newcastle disease, the guarantees as detailed in point (b) of Article 44 of Regulation (EU) 2020/692 must be met.

7. The flock of origin must have undergone a disease surveillance programme as detailed in point (c) of Regulation (EU) 2020/692

8. Poultry must comply with the required residency period as laid out in Table 2 of Annex III to Regulation (EU) 2020/692

9. Poultry must be transported in containers which are closed so as to prevent the possible substitution of animals and which they bear the information for the particular species and category of poultry set out in Annex XVI

10. Poultry imported into the Community shall not be:

a. Loaded onto a means of transport carrying other poultry of a lower health status.

b. Moved through nor unloaded in a third country, territory, zone or compartment from which imports of such poultry into the Community are not authorised during the course of transport.

1. Breeding and productive poultry (except productive poultry for the restocking of game supplies) shall only come from establishments which have been approved by the competent authority of the Third Country concerned.

2. After import, breeding and productive poultry (non-ratites) shall be kept on the establishment(s) of destination from the date of their arrival either:

a. For a period of at least six weeks

OR

b. Where the birds are slaughtered before the expiry of the period referred to in (a) above, until the day of slaughter

3. However the period provided for in (2a) above may be reduced to three weeks, provided that sampling and testing in accordance with Article 51(b) of Regulation (EU) 2020/692 has been carried out with favourable results.

4. During the relevant periods, as referred to in points (2) and (3) above, imported breeding and productive poultry shall be kept in isolation in poultry houses where no other flocks are present.

5. However, they may be introduced into poultry houses where breeding and productive poultry and day-old chicks are already present. In that case, the relevant periods referred to in points (2) and (3) above shall commence from the date of introduction of the last imported bird and no poultry present shall be moved from the poultry houses before the end of those periods.

6. No later than the date of expiry of the relevant periods as referred to in points (2) and (3) above, imported breeding and productive poultry shall undergo a clinical examination carried out by an official veterinarian and, where necessary, samples shall be taken to monitor their state of health.

Veterinary Certification

1. Consignments imported from third countries must be accompanied by the relevant health certificate, which conforms to the models laid down in Regulation (EU) 2021/403 and which is signed by an official veterinarian or inspector of the veterinary authority in the country of origin.

Model BPP: Model veterinary certificate for breeding or productive poultry other than ratites

Model BPR: Model veterinary certificate for breeding or productive ratites

Model SP: Model veterinary certificate for slaughter poultry and poultry for restocking game supplies other than ratites

Model SR: Model veterinary certificate for slaughter ratites

Model LT20: Model veterinary certificate for single consignments of less than 20 units of poultry other than ratites, hatching eggs and day-old chicks thereof.

2. An official veterinarian in the authorised Third country must sign the certificate to attest that all the relevant conditions in the certificate have been met.

3. The certificate must accompany the consignment en-route to the EU and be presented with the animals when they are presented for entry into the EU at an approved EU Border Control Post (BCP).

1. Consignments live animals entering the EU must be inspected at an EU-approved Border control Post (BCP) where Member States' official veterinarians ensure they fulfil all the requirements provided for in the EU legislation.

2. The person responsible for the load being imported (the importer or a customs agent acting on their behalf) must give the BCP at the intended point of entry advance notification of the arrival of the consignment.

There is a required minimum pre-notification notice period of at least 24 hours’ notice in advance of the consignment’s arrival.

Failure to submit correct documentation within this timeline may result in significant delays in the consignment being processed through the Border Control Post.

Pre-notification is given by the submission of Part 1 of the Common Health Entry Document (CHED-A), as is laid down in Commission Implementing Regulation (EC) No. 2019/1715, through the online TRACES system.

3. Copies of other supporting documentation associated with the consignment should be submitted at this time as well - such as the Health Certificate, Invoice, Packing list and so on.

4. Necessary documents and logistical information must be submitted 24 hours in advance via the the DAFM Import Portal.

1. All live animals from third countries require veterinary checks at their point of entry into the European Union, as listed in Annex I to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/632.

2. EU harmonised import controls are carried out at an approved Border Control Post (BCP) that is designated to deal with that species of animal. A consignment of poultry may only enter Ireland through an approved Border Control Post (BCP) designated ‘O’ for other animals

Dublin Port and Rosslare port BCPs are all approved for poultry.

3. Providing all the documentation has been submitted correctly and within the correct timeframes, a large proportion of the documentary check can be commenced in advance of the consignment’s arrival. This includes examination of the veterinary certificate and other documents accompanying a consignment

The original hard copy of the health certificate must travel with the consignment, and will be checked and held at the BCP at the point of entry into the EU

4. Provided all is in order with the documentary check, the consignment of live animals will then be subject to an identity check and physical check with/without sampling as appropriate at the BCP.

5. Upon satisfactory completion of the required checks, the decision is entered in Part 2 of the CHED which must accompany the consignment to the first place of destination referred to in the CHED.

6. If the consignment does not meet the import requirements, the consignment may be rejected entry and re-exported or in exceptional circumstances, humanely destroyed if necessary.