USDA Proposed Shorter Poultry Import Wait Times
The rule change could reduce poultry supply chain costs by shortening required post-outbreak waiting periods to 28 days.
Updated on Sept. 23, 2026 in Organic Food
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture has proposed reducing the mandatory import waiting period for poultry following a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak from 90 days to 28 days. This change is intended to align national requirements with updated international health standards.
Why it matters
Updating the waiting period to 28 days reflects a more current scientific understanding of HPAI incubation cycles and aims to stabilize market supply. The shift is expected to reduce trade disruptions and overall costs across the poultry supply chain.
The proposed rule adopts a 28-day recovery window, which the World Organization for Animal Health established in 2021 as representative of two flock-level incubation periods. This move replaces the previous 90-day requirement to better align with global disease-free status standards.
The players
U.S. Department of Agriculture
The federal executive department responsible for developing and executing laws related to farming, forestry, and food safety.
World Organization for Animal Health
An intergovernmental organization that sets international standards for animal health and the safety of global trade in animals and animal products.
The details
The policy change centers on the biological reality of how HPAI moves through bird populations. By shifting to a 28-day window, the USDA aims to demonstrate that a facility or region is disease-free based on the duration of two full incubation cycles. This technical adjustment is designed to maintain safety while removing unnecessary barriers to trade that were established under older, longer quarantine protocols.
Timeline
The World Organization for Animal Health issued the original guidance in 2021.
The proposed rule publishes in the Federal Register on Sept. 24, 2026.
The public comment period remains open for 60 days following Sept. 24, 2026.
Health Landscape
This regulatory update follows the 2021 World Organization for Animal Health guidance on managing avian influenza recovery. It marks a shift from outdated, longer quarantine defaults toward standardized, evidence-based metrics for clearing trade restrictions after an outbreak.
This regulatory change is designed to stabilize the supply chain, which may influence availability and pricing for poultry products in the future. While this is a high-level policy shift, consumers interested in food safety standards may monitor the public docket for updates.
The takeaway
The USDA is moving to align poultry import rules with current scientific evidence on HPAI incubation. Interested stakeholders can participate in the official review process to ensure their perspectives are considered before the rule is finalized.
What happens next
The public comment period closes approximately 60 days after Sept. 24, 2026, during which interested parties may submit feedback via the federal portal.
Further reading
For context on how industry standards impact the availability of goods, visit Organic Food.
More information
To review the proposal or submit comments, visit the federal proposal comment submission portal under Docket No. APHIS-2023-0069.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Feedstuffs.
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