The Guam Department of Agriculture (DOAG) Animal Health Division will reestablish the modified live poultry entry requirements from the United States mainland due to a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

Since January 2022, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has been responding to an outbreak of HPAI in the mainland. This has resulted in the loss of millions of birds and hundreds of millions of eggs.

Due to Guam’s limited ability to counter an outbreak of this scale, DOAG Animal Health Division has chosen to enact a strict border protection policy to combat case surges.

As KUAM reported, a ban on all live poultry imports and hatching eggs from the US was implemented on Nov. 29, 2023 when a large spike of 8-million birds were affected.

Fortunately, the latest surge was short-lived and has since subsided dramatically.

DOAG remains cautious and will require avian influenza testing within 14 days of travel for all birds arriving directly from the mainland United States.

States Territorial Veterinarian Dr. Mariana Turner said, “The avian influenza outbreak situation in the mainland United States has proven to be dynamic, persistent, and only somewhat predictable, requiring that we closely monitor the situation daily. We have hit a lull in cases at the moment, but we keep our eye on the horizon for any future surges, especially as we hit the spring months, when migratory birds that harbor the disease are on the move.”

Applications for animal entry permits are available through the Guam Department of Agriculture Animal Health Division or online at https://doag.guam.gov/resource/.

The Animal Health Division would also like to remind potential customers that those residing in a residential area are allowed to keep a maximum of 20 birds.

For further information regarding importation of poultry, please contact the Guam Department of Agriculture Animal Health Division at their 671-300-7966/4 or via email at quarantine@doag.guam.gov