Twenty-eight days instead of ninety: disease status becomes the clock of poultry trade

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, through APHIS, has proposed reducing the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) waiting period for imports of live birds and specified avian commodities from 90 to 28 days. The September 24 publication is not a rule in force: it is a proposed rule, with comments accepted until November 23, 2026. The proposal follows updated international WOAH criteria. APHIS notes that the HPAI incubation period is now regarded as 14 rather than 21 days, and that two flock-level incubation periods support a 28-day timeframe. The change would affect certification, origin and quarantine provisions for birds, hatching eggs and goods from affected regions; it would not remove other animal-health conditions or restrictions for other poultry diseases. For buyers, processors and logistics operators, the key point is not simply that a zone could resume trade sooner. Compliance must still be demonstrated by consignment, origin region, exposure date, quarantine status and veterinary documentation. A shorter period may reduce disruption, but it makes fast, verifiable data more operationally important. The technical significance lies in separating speed from simplification. A 28-day framework works only where surveillance, zoning, certification and traceability connect without gaps. For the meat chain, the possible change turns documentary biosecurity into a competitive capability: operators able to verify health status and origin precisely can respond sooner when trade flows reopen.