Combating Illegal Bird

Importation

Every year, there are many attempts made to smuggle birds into the United States. Most of them are

brought in during the hatching season for wild birds,

which starts in January and continues through midMay. Most smuggled birds originate from Central

America, South America, and Mexico, but smuggled

birds have also been identified coming in from countries such as China and Thailand. Though many of

these birds may not exhibit symptoms, they sometimes carry diseases, including the contagious virus

that causes exotic Newcastle disease (END). U.S.

poultry and caged birds are extremely vulnerable to

this virus. Just one infected bird can rapidly spread

the disease to others, and from location to location.

Bringing smuggled birds into the United States

also increases the chance of introducing high-pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) into the country,

including H5N1 strains of the disease. Worldwide,

there are many strains of avian influenza virus that

can cause varying amounts of clinical illness in poultry. HPAI viruses can infect chickens, turkeys, pheasants, quail, ducks, geese, and guinea fowl, as well as

a wide variety of other birds.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA)

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)

works to keep diseases such as HPAI and END from

becoming established in the U.S. poultry population.

One way APHIS does this is by maintaining trade

restrictions on the importation of poultry and poultry

products that can carry the virus from countries with

END and HPAI-affected domestic poultry.

Agency Coordination

While USDA establishes the regulations for these

restrictions, the Department of Homeland Security’s

(DHS) U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

unit is responsible for enforcing these laws at portsof-entry across the country. Following USDA regulations, CBP agricultural specialists prohibit the entry

of live poultry, commercial birds, pet birds, and/or

“hatching eggs” from countries affected by H5N1

strains of HPAI. APHIS continually updates its import

procedures to reflect the most current disease-status

information.

In addition to import restrictions, APHIS quarantines and tests live birds imported into the United

States to ensure they are not carrying any foreign

animal diseases such as END and HPAI. Except for

birds from Canada, which are not quarantined, all pet

birds and live poultry from approved countries must

be quarantined for at least 30 days at a USDAapproved facility.

Smuggling Interdiction and Trade

Compliance 

To combat illegal importation of poultry meat and

other avian products, APHIS maintains a special

Smuggling Interdiction and Trade Compliance (SITC)

program. The officers involved in this program work

cooperatively with CBP agricultural specialists at U.S.

ports-of-entry. These officers also educate DHS and

other State and Federal partners about prohibited

products and restricted commodities.

In addition, SITC officers work within the United

States to find illegal contraband at retail markets,

specialty shops, restaurants, agricultural fairs, and

other venues. When smuggled products are intercepted in the marketplace, SITC officers conduct

trace work to determine the pathways through which

prohibited products were smuggled into U.S. commerce and ensure that additional prohibited products

are not allowed entry into the country. These officers

also conduct traces to determine the distribution of

prohibited items. Any contraband discovered is disposed of by appropriate methods under the supervision of regulatory officers. If a potential violation is

identified during the trace work, APHIS’ Investigative

and Enforcement Services (IES) is notified and will

pursue an investigation.

APHIS analyzes data gathered from past agricultural import violators to target future shipments.

Working in collaboration with DHS and other Federal

and State partners, APHIS:

• Conducts background investigations into 

importers based on cargo manifests and other 

shipping documents;

• Assists DHS in verifying cargo of containers at 

ports-of-entry;

• Verifies commodities at warehouses and cargo 

destinations;

• Performs market surveys and special operations 

at ports-of-entry.

• Educates market owners and the general public 

about smuggled agricultural items and the threat 

they pose to the health and viability of U.S.

agriculture.

• Shares information with CBP as well as other 

Federal and State agencies to help concentrate 

their antismuggling efforts.

When smuggled animals are intercepted at the

ports-of-entry, CBP contacts the port veterinarian in

APHIS’ Veterinary Services (VS), who will either 

Factsheet 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service une 2006

APHIS 
dispose of, reexport, or quarantine the prohibited 

animal. VS port veterinarians are stationed at most

commercial ports that allow the importation of live 

animals. When CBP inspectors intercept smuggled

animal products or byproducts, CBP contacts the

APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) veterinarian to consult on the destruction of prohibited 

animal products and byproducts. PPQ veterinarians

are located regionally throughout the United States

and its territories.

CBP also notifies APHIS of any potential violations,

and IES then initiates an investigation. Violators are

subject to civil and/or criminal penalties. IES works

closely on many of these investigations with the

Department of the Interior’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service, the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S.

Citizenship and Immigration Services and Customs

and Border Protection, and USDA’s Office of

Inspector General.

The United States is the world’s largest producer

and exporter of poultry meat and the second-largest

egg producer. In cooperation, APHIS and CBP’s

efforts are critical for ensuring that any bird or products derived from birds smuggled into the United

States are seized to eliminate the risk of introducing a

foreign animal disease. It is also important for bird

owners to observe and report signs of illness in their

birds. Information about reporting sick birds is available through APHIS’ Biosecurity for the Birds public

awareness campaign. Log onto

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/birdbiosecurity/hpai.html

to learn more. For additional information about

USDA's avian influenza efforts, go to

<http://www.usda.gov/birdflu>.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination

in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national

origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status,

familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic

information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an

individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program.

(Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office

of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C.

20250–9410, or call (800) 795–3272 (voice) or (202) 720–6382

(TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

United States Department of Agriculture • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service • Safeguarding American Agriculture