from Veterinary Services,
National Center for Import-Export*
New stuff - Travelers abroad taking birds can avoid station quarantine time and charges upon return by following the rules for home-quarantine
US-origin birds out of the U.S. more than 60 days may be quarantines at home for 30 days. Your bird is eligible for HOME QUARANTINE if the following conditions are met:The bird(s) must -
- be accompanied by a U.S.-origin veterinary health certificate issued PRIOR to departure from the U.S. The certificate must have the leg band (maybe a C-band?) or tattoo number (affixed to the bird prior to departure) recorded on it.
- have a USDA veterinary inspection at the first port-of-entry in the U.S. Contact the Port Veterinarian at your port-of-entry to arrange a meeting time and place for veterinary inspection of your bird.
The owner must -
- sign a statement, witnessed by the USDA inspector, that the bird has not been in contact with poultry or other birds while out of the U.S.
- also sign an agreement on Veterinary Services Form No. 17-8 "Agreement of a Pet Bird Owner" (obtained from the USDA inspector at the port-of-entry) that the bird will be maintained in his or her personal possession separate and apart from all poultry and other birds for a minimum of 30 days and made available for health inspection and testing by USDA inspectors upon request until the end of the quarantine period. The bird may not be transported within the U.S. during the quarantine period.
- agree to notify appropriate USDA officials if any signs of disease are noted or if the bird dies during the quarantine period. If your bird is eligible for home quarantine, it is not necessary that it arrive at one of the six ports-of-entry designated for pet birds. There are numerous "limited ports-of-entry" which are available. These ports are not staffed full time by USDA inspectors. You will need to contact the Port Veterinarian at your port-of-entry at least 3 days ahead of your arrival to make arrangements for a veterinary inspection. The name of the airline, time of arrival and mode of travel for the bird (i.e., in the cabin with owner, in luggage or in cargo) are necessary before the Port Veterinarian can meet you to inspect the bird. There is a fee for this service. At present, if you arrive during normal work hours (usually 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday) the fee is $169.75. If arrival occurs outside normal work hours, there will be an additional Premium User Fee rate.
U.S.-origin birds that have been out of the U.S. for 60 days or less require USDA veterinary inspection at the port-of-entry without quarantine. The fee is presently $71.25. If your bird does not meet either of the above requirements, it will have to enter through a designated port-of-entry for pet birds and go through the standard 30 day quarantine at a USDA quarantine station.
*from APHIS, Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service, Dept. of Agriculture, 4700 River Rd., Unit 40, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231. Phone (301) 734-7830, FAX (301) 734-8226
http://www.aphis.usda.gov From the net sent to us by courtesy of Alfreda Riley, PCBS, Newport News, Va., June 16, '97.See also G&B "Getting a bird from import--the quarantine equasion" May '95, and "Traveling abroad with your pet bird", using a paper by FWS, Apr. '97.
Government & Birds is a service of Bird Clubs of America for its Alliance Clubs/Societies for better reproduction in their newsletters, or for their reference library files. Non-Alliance clubs may reproduce it from Alliance Club newsletters with full credits. Boldfacing, underlines by editor. Dick Ivy, educ. dir.-ed., BCA, PO Box 2005, Yorktown, VA 23692. 757 898-5090. dickivy@two-rivers.com
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