The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) maintains trade restrictions on the importation of poultry and poultry products from countries or regions where highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu has been detected in commercial or traditionally-raised poultry (not in wild or migratory birds).

USDA regulation stating no person may import any living or dead birds, eggs for hatching, or any product derived from birds from specific countries

This prohibition does not apply to imported bird products if federal officials determine that the products have been properly processed so that they pose no risk of transmitting or carrying avian flu viruses and are in compliance with USDA regulations. Therefore, the importation of commercial shipments of raw bulk feathers from countries with H5N1 avian flu outbreaks must comply with USDA regulations to prevent the introduction and dissemination of the virus into the United States. These shipments are required to have a certificate of processing according to USDA regulations and an import permit.

Chicken manure produced in the U.S. or Canada is extremely unlikely to be a source of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus because the virus has not been found in poultry in North America. There is a potential risk from products containing bird feces (like fertilizer) that have been imported from a country experiencing a highly pathogenic H5N1 outbreak. As a result, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has banned importation of any birds or bird products from countries that have had outbreaks unless the products have been processed in such a way (for example, by heat sterilization) that there is no longer a risk of acquiring avian flu virus from the product.