https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ne...by_date/sa-2022/restrictions-onhhwg-meat
No mention of whether the USDA will allow live birds to migrate south this year.

I don't want to think this is political so I intend to play like it's not...Geo.

It is all about the avian flu issues. Some expert has figured out that you have some chance of spreading it to live fowl if you bring back infected dead fowl. I guess fowl CPR is the risk.

They will be permitted to migrate as long as they are fully vaccinated, have a vaccine passport, and wear masks.

These restrictions will be optional if they are migrating to a BLM rally in a Blue State.

Just how does the USDA propose to enforce the ordinances they have enacted. In my area of MI we get some migration drift from Canada throughout our t60 day open season, so I suppose some of the many mallards and Canada geese I bag each season are migrants. I have a suggestion for the Canucks who are tasked with the vaccination process this paint. Use safety orange spray paint,like the road crews use, and spray paint the ass-ends and wingtips of the birds they have netted/trapped to be vaccinated. Don't laugh, this works. A few years ago I had permission to hunt/shoot barn pigeons on an older farm with 3 old silos and lots of spilled grain. I had a real "gold mine", no one else bothered to ask permission to shoot there- one day in late spring, while setting up, the farmer came over to chat over coffee, and asked me if I could tell a racing pigeon from a regular pigeon in flight. I told him; "No, I don,t think I can, why do you ask?"" "Well, a neighbor down the road, his boy is doing a racing pigeon project for the 4-H, and he asked me to ask you if you see a pigeon in range with a red ribbon tied to a leg, not to shoot it." "OK, Ed" I replied. But just in case the ribbon comes loose or gets wet in a rainy day, how about having him paint their ass ends with safety glow paint?'' long story short, he did, and over the summer and into Sept, I probably killed 100 barn pigeons over about 10 visits, and only saw 2 flying in range with that marking, and I passed them up. Come to think of it, as I waaay prefer incomers on waterfowl, maybe spraying the neck collar area on the Canadas, as well as their ass ends, might work the best. Feel free to inform our Canuck compadres of this option as ypu may see fit.RWTF

So, you can't bring cleaned, packaged game birds home with you.
But the same birds that you shot at in Saskatchewan on Monday, can be in North Dakota the next day.
If I was guessing, I'd say that packaged game meat is hugely less risk of infection than wild birds on the wing.

More proof that common sense is dead and politicians are morons

I'd lean towards blaming this on the poultry barons. Tyson, Perdue and Koch have huge influence.

I read this the other day and immediately thought gov't bureaucracy at its idiotic finest!

As of yesterday there has been a 180 degree shift. All birds can be taken back to the US but with certain conditions.

Unprocessed hunter-harvested wild game bird carcasses, originating from or transiting Canada, must meet following conditions:
Viscera, head, neck, feet, skin, and one wing have been removed; and
Feathers have been removed, with the exception of one wing – as required by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) for species identification; and
Carcasses must be rinsed in fresh, clean, potable water prior to packaging and must not have visible evidence of contamination with dirt, blood, or feces; and
Carcasses must be imported in leak-proof plastic packaging and stored in a leak proof cooler or container during transport and import; and
Carcasses must be chilled or frozen during transport and import.

APHIS further recommends that boots and any equipment used to process the carcasses should be clean and visibly free from dirt, blood, tissue, and feces.

Cooked or cured meat and meat products (for example, sausage, jerky, etc.) will not be allowed import as U.S. FWS requirements cannot be met to identify the species of wild bird.

I asked them about frozen grouse and got no reply. We wax and freeze our ducks in saran wrap[ in MB and always leave one wing on for identification. 50 years up there, sometimes twice a season, and never have been asked to open a package.

The new regulations are for all birds not just waterfowl. At the border some agents may not be so well informed and let birds in that may not meet the requirements 100%. In any event the one wing policy remains as there was some confusion earlier this year that a fledged head could be used instead of a wing. Problem with having the head on you also have part the esophagus remaining and it it full of bacteria.

I asked them about frozen grouse and got no reply. We wax and freeze our ducks in saran wrap[ in MB and always leave one wing on for identification. 50 years up there, sometimes twice a season, and never have been asked to open a package.

Thank you for your email regarding hunter-harvested wild game birds from Canada. The United Stated Department of Agriculture's ( USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) apologizes for the delay in response and for any inconvenience our decisions may have caused you. As you are aware, on September 2, 2022, USDA APHIS issued a stakeholder alert implementing restrictions on hunter harvested wild bird meat/carcasses from all of Canada, regardless of province, due to the risk of transmitting highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). HPAI is an extremely infectious poultry disease spreading throughout North America, primarily by wild birds. APHIS regulations implement strict import controls to prevent HPAI introductions resulting from people transporting contaminated wildlife meat, carcasses, and trophies into the United States, thus the reason for the restriction. APHIS understands the timing of this alert was problematic for hunters planning on traveling to Canada, but the safety of our agricultural industry is our top priority.

APHIS has been working diligently with Canada, our internal and external stakeholders, and the public to have a plan that would allow for hunter-harvested wild game bird carcasses from Canada into the United States while ensuring we reduce the United States risk to highly pathogenic avian influenza. We are pleased to announce that effective September 12, APHIS will allow importation as outlined below. These conditions will be required for all game birds as per our federal regulations which includes migratory birds, certain ducks, geese, pigeons, and doves, free-flying quail, wild grouse, and wild pheasants (as opposed to those that are commercial, domestic, or pen-raised).

Effective September 12:
Unprocessed hunter-harvested wild game bird carcasses, originating from or transiting Canada, must meet following conditions:
* Viscera, head, neck, feet, skin, and one wing have been removed; and
* Feathers have been removed, with the exception of one wing - as required by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) for species identification; and
* Carcasses must be rinsed in fresh, clean, potable water prior to packaging and must not have visible evidence of contamination with dirt, blood, or feces; and
* Carcasses must be imported in leak-proof plastic packaging and stored in a leak proof cooler or container during transport and import; and
* Carcasses must be chilled or frozen during transport and import.
* APHIS further recommends that boots and any equipment used to process the carcasses should be clean and visibly free from dirt, blood, tissue, and feces.

Please also note that cooked or cured meat and meat products (for example, sausage, jerky, pastrami, etc.) will not be allowed import as U.S. FWS requirements cannot be met to identify the species of wild bird.

APHIS also requires that hunter-harvested wild game bird trophies must be fully finished and have been professionally cleaned (free of dirt, blood, insects, putrid odors, etc.) and professionally prepared (stuffed and/or mounted) for the purpose of personal exhibition or accompanied by a VS import permit, or consigned directly to a USDA Approved Establishment.

If you have any more question or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us at 301-851-3300 or send an email to APIE@usda.gov.

Thanks again for your patience with APHIS and our support of the wild game bird hunting community.

Lisa M. Dixon, DVM, MPH
Director, Animal Product Imports
USDA APHIS VS Strategy and Policy
4700 River Road
Riverdale, MD 20737
301-851-3373 office
301-278-2528 cell
lisa.m.dixon@usda.gov

We can’t let avian flu into the country!!!!!! We must kill all birds at the border to prevent the spread. This will only last a short time till we flatten the curve

"Please also note that cooked or cured meat and meat products (for example, sausage, jerky, pastrami, etc.) will not be allowed import as U.S. FWS requirements cannot be met to identify the species of wild bird."

What a bunch of horse dung!

The USDA must have consulted with Saint Fauci to get things this F**ked up!