Global Trade



Notice of APHIS Requirements for Animal Product Imports

April 21, 2009

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's ("USDA") Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service ("APHIS") regulates the importation into the United States of animals and animal-derived materials to ensure that certain animal and poultry diseases are not introduced into the United States. This notice summarizes certain APHIS requirements concerning the importation of animal-derived materials. This notice covers only animal-derived materials regulated by APHIS; other items regulated by APHIS (e.g., live animals, plants and plant products) and the regulations of other U.S. government agencies are not covered by this notice.

Import Restrictions

Generally, a USDA Veterinary Services ("VS") permit is needed for materials derived from animals or exposed to animal-source material. Other animal materials that require an import permit include meat and dairy products from countries with livestock diseases exotic to the United States. Meat, meat products, and meat or animal by-products may require a certificate from the exporting country. Some products may be exempt from certification, depending on the nature of the product, the country or region of production or export, the manner of preparation, and the animal species. In some cases, importation may be prohibited. Restrictions can affect not only products that will be entered for consumption in the United States, but also products that will transit the United States for export.

Products subject to regulation include not only fresh meat, but also processed food products containing meat. Examples of animal-derived materials that may require an import certificate or permit include:


  • Fresh (chilled or frozen), cured, or dried meat (poultry, ruminant, swine, equine)

  • Milk and milk products

  • Eggs and egg products

  • Meat products (e.g., meat pies, prepared foods, hydrated and dehydrated soups, stocks, extracts, and canned meat)

  • Hides, skins, capes, and hair

  • Bones, gelatin, and gelatin capsules

  • Casings

  • Organs and glands

  • Blood

  • Live animals

  • Animal embryos, semen, and ova

Information about certification and permit requirements for these products is available in APHIS's Animal Product Manual, at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants/manuals/ports/apm.shtml.

Additional information about specified diseases and regions of concern is available at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/animals/animal_disease_status.shtml . Information about applying for a VS import permit can be found at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/permits/. Certain animal products do not require a USDA import permit. These products are:


  • Human pharmaceuticals and human vaccines containing animal components

  • Human and non-human primate material (excluding cell cultures)

  • Feline and canine material

  • Live laboratory mammals and their material (for research purposes)

  • Amphibians, fish, reptiles, shellfish, and aquatic species (includes venom)

  • Chemically synthesized materials

  • Microbially produced materials

  • Recombinant microbes and their products

  • Non-pathogenic microorganisms

  • Cell cultures/lines, recombinant cell cultures/lines, and their products (for in vitro use)

  • Test kits

  • Animal feeds, feed supplements, and pre-mixes

Nonetheless, all of these products are subject to USDA inspection at the port of arrival in the United States. Some products may still require a certification or declaration, and in some cases, USDA recommends that certain documentation, e.g., from the foreign shipper/producer, accompany the shipment to facilitate importation. More information about the products that do not require a USDA import permit is available at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/animals/animal_import/animal_imports_nopermit.shtml .

The Food Safety and Inspection Service of the USDA also regulates the importation of meat, poultry and egg products. Animal products also may be regulated by other government agencies, such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and these agencies have their own restrictions on imports and their own requirements for permits, certificates, and licenses.