ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE

The last step—and ultimate goal—of an animal disease response is to get you, 

the producer, back in business. This is a very important step, and one that has 

to be done carefully to help protect the health of the animals that are being 

restocked. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and your State animal 

health officials need to make sure your farm is free from the highly pathogenic 

avian influenza (HPAI) virus before new birds enter your property. No one 

wants the new birds to become infected. With the hard work of the response 

now almost complete, there’s too much at stake for the whole process to 

start over.

Approval To Restock

It’s essential that restocking and returning to production after an HPAI 

detection is not done too early. 

Federal and State animal health officials will first check that all prior steps in 

the response process are finished. This includes, among other things, cleanup 

efforts, required waiting periods, and confirmation that the farm’s animal 

production areas are now virus-free. Restocking can occur no sooner than 

21 days after virus elimination work is complete. During those 21 days, all 

environmental testing must be completed and come back negative for the 

HPAI virus.

Animal health officials will also review the conditions in the surrounding area to 

make sure there is not an undue risk of new birds being exposed to the HPAI 

virus. Some States may have further criteria you must meet, like putting in place 

a specific biosecurity measure that the State can audit, before you can be 

approved to restock. When you meet these requirements and conditions, 

Federal and State officials will then approve that you can restock your farm 

with new animals. 

You will receive written approval to restock. The document will be signed by 

both Federal and State animal health officials, and it will include specific 

requirements you must follow for restocking and for continued biosecurity 

afterward. You will need to review and sign the agreement.

Restocking

We realize that when returning to production after a disease outbreak, not all 

producers will be able to fully restock immediately upon approval. The timing 

will depend on several things, including the type of facility (meat production 

versus layer), the availability of poults or pullets, and business decisions. 

Restocking Your Bird Flock:

Getting Back to Business After HPAI

It’s essential that restocking and 

returning to production 

after an HPAI detection is 

not done too soon. No one 

wants the new birds to 

become infected. With the hard 

work of the response now almost 

complete, there’s too much 

at stake for the whole process 

to start over.
ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE

It will be up to you, the producer, to determine how and when to restock once 

you have approval. You must test all birds used to restock your farm for HPAI, 

and they must test negative before they can be moved onto the farm. The 

minimum standard is two negative tests at least 24 hours apart; one of these 

tests must happen no more than 1 day before the birds are moved. It is your 

responsibility to cover the cost of this testing and arrange for it. Your case 

manager can advise on who to contact. 

After Restocking

When you do begin to restock your farm, it is vital to make sure everyone who 

enters your farm follows strict biosecurity guidelines. This is to protect against 

future introductions of the HPAI virus. These biosecurity measures will be 

detailed in your restocking approval document. General requirements for all 

restocked farms are listed below; however, animal health officials may include 

other measures.

Basic Biosecurity for Restocked Farms

Producers restocking after HPAI must agree to follow these biosecurity steps:

• Have cleaning and disinfection procedures in place for all movement onto 

the farm and all movement into and between barns.

• Enforce personnel-specific biosecurity measures, including that clothing 

worn inside the barn not be worn outside.

• Keep wild birds and rodents out of the barn structure.

• Make sure feed and water are not contaminated by wild birds or their feces.

• Immediately fix any environmental factors—such as standing water, feed 

spills, etc.—that may attract wild birds.

• Stop visits by non-essential personnel.

Moving Forward

As you move forward, continue to ensure that your staff members and vendors 

follow the required biosecurity procedures.

USDA, State animal health officials, and industry have created resources to 

help producers develop, evaluate, and certify that they have strong biosecurity 

practices in place. These materials are available online through USDA’s 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (www.aphis.usda.gov/animalhealth/aiupdates; click on “Checklist for Self-Assessment of Enhanced Poultry 

Biosecurity” under the “Other Materials” heading) or the U.S. Poultry 

Association (www.uspoultry.org/animal_husbandry/assessment.cfm). 

For More Information

If you have specific questions, talk with your case manager or call the nearest 

USDA office (www.aphis.usda.gov/animal-health/state-offices). 

For general information on HPAI and emergency response, go to 

www.usda.gov/avian_influenza.html and www.aphis.usda.gov/fadprep.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. 

APHIS 91-85-012

Issued January 2016

ACTIONS YOU NEED TO TAKE

1. Review and sign the restocking 

agreement. By signing, you agree 

to follow the requirements for 

testing and biosecurity measures 

outlined in the document.

2. Decide when and how you want to 

restock your farm.

3. When purchasing birds to restock, 

have them tested for HPAI. The 

birds must test negative for HPAI 

before you can move them onto 

your farm. 

4. Put in place the required 

biosecurity measures at your 

property and make sure everyone 

who enters your farm follows them.

Protect against future 

introductions of the HPAI virus! 

When you do begin to restock 

your farm, make sure everyone 

who enters your farm follows 

strict biosecurity guidelines.