CFIA AIRS Updates for Live Poultry from the US: Day-Old Chicks and Waterfowl

CFIA published updates to Chapter 01 import conditions on October 27, 2026, targeting specific HS codes for live poultry from the United States. The changes affect day-old chicks, chicks less than three days old, and small waterfowl other than ducks and geese, across several end-use categories: Breeding, Feeding for slaughter, Other end uses, and Temporary stay in Canada.

If you’re filing CADs for live poultry imports regularly, this is the kind of update that doesn’t announce itself with a CBSA delay notice but will quietly hold up your next shipment if the CFIA piece is wrong.

What Changed

The updated HS codes include:

• 01.05.11.1010 (Day old chicks) — modified conditions for Breeding, Feeding for slaughter, Other end uses, Temporary stay in Canada
• 01.05.13.1015 (Less than 3 days old) — modified conditions for Breeding, Other end uses, Temporary stay in Canada
• 01.05.14.1021 (Less than 3 days old) — same scope as above
• 01.06.39.2093 (Small waterfowl other than ducks and geese, less than 3 days old) — Breeding, Other end uses, Temporary stay in Canada

All modifications apply to imports originating from the United States.

The AIRS (Automated Import Reference System) entries now reflect different import conditions for these codes. CFIA hasn’t published a line-by-line breakdown of what specifically changed in the conditions, but the fact that the entries were republished means the old version is no longer current.

Why It Matters for Clearance

When you file a CAD for live animals, CBSA checks the tariff classification, origin, and duty calculation, but CFIA handles the OGD compliance side: import permits, health certificates, end-use declarations, and alignment with AIRS conditions. The two systems talk to each other at release. If your importer’s CFIA permit or your broker’s standing template references conditions that AIRS no longer recognizes, the release gets held until the paperwork is corrected.

This is not a high-drama delay. CBSA won’t issue a formal examination notice. The shipment just sits in “pending OGD clearance” status until CFIA signs off. For live poultry, that’s a problem: day-old chicks have a tight delivery window, and a 24-hour hold can mean dead loss.

Most importers who move live poultry regularly hold standing CFIA import permits tied to specific HS codes and end uses. If CFIA modified the AIRS conditions for your codes, your standing permit might need an amendment before the next shipment. That’s a conversation with CFIA’s import service centre, not with your broker, but your broker should flag it when they see the AIRS update.

The End-Use Piece

The end-use categories matter because CFIA’s import conditions vary depending on what the importer plans to do with the birds:

• Breeding: birds destined for breeding stock, subject to stricter health and traceability requirements
• Feeding for slaughter: commercial poultry for meat production
• Other end uses: catch-all for anything not covered above (exhibition, research, personal use)
• Temporary stay in Canada: birds entering for a limited period (shows, temporary breeding programs) then re-exported or destroyed

If your importer routinely brings in day-old chicks for breeding and your CAD filing template declares “Breeding” as the end use, you need to verify that the October 27 AIRS update didn’t add new conditions (additional testing, revised certificate language, origin-specific restrictions) that your current permit doesn’t cover.

CFIA doesn’t always announce these changes with a public notice. The AIRS system is the authority. If you’re not checking AIRS regularly or subscribed to the CFIA automated updates, you find out when the shipment gets held.

US Origin Context

The fact that these updates are US-specific is worth noting. Cross-border live poultry trade has been under pressure since the 2022–2023 avian influenza outbreaks across North America. CFIA and USDA have been coordinating on import conditions, testing requirements, and movement controls for commercial poultry and waterfowl. An AIRS update that modifies conditions for US-origin birds without touching imports from other countries usually signals a shift in the bilateral health protocol.

We don’t have visibility into what specifically changed in the conditions (CFIA publishes the AIRS entries but not always the redline), but any time CFIA republishes Chapter 01 poultry codes for a single origin country, it’s worth asking your importer whether their USDA health certificates and CFIA import permits are still in sync.

What to Do

If you’re clearing live poultry from the United States under any of the affected HS codes:

1. Pull the current AIRS entry for your codes. CFIA’s AIRS search tool is public; you don’t need a login.
2. Compare the conditions to your importer’s standing CFIA permit and the end-use declaration on your CAD template.
3. If there’s a mismatch, contact CFIA’s import service centre before the next shipment. Amending a standing permit takes a few days if the request is straightforward, longer if CFIA needs updated health certificates from the US exporter.
4. Update your brokerage filing template to reference the new AIRS entry version. Some brokers hard-code AIRS version numbers in their internal notes; if yours does, make sure the October 27, 2026 update is reflected.

For importers who don’t move live poultry regularly, this update is irrelevant. For hatcheries, breeding operations, and waterfowl suppliers who clear Chapter 01 shipments weekly, it’s worth a 10-minute AIRS check now rather than a 24-hour hold at the border later.

Most AIRS updates are housekeeping. This one might be. But CFIA doesn’t republish poultry entries from a single origin country for no reason, and if your next shipment gets held because the end-use conditions changed and nobody noticed, the chicks don’t care whether it was housekeeping or a real policy shift.

If you’re not sure whether your permits are still good, that’s a five-minute call. Get in touch.

Source: CSCB