Shipping Hatching Eggs

[R2elk]

It recently came to my attention that there are a lot of people on eBay selling hatching eggs that do not have NPIP certification for their flocks and they are in many cases shipping these eggs across state lines.

After doing a little research I found that there is no state that does not have laws governing the shipment of poultry or hatching eggs into their state.

All states require as a minimum a certification of health from a veterinarian with most accepting the accompanying NPIP certificate in lieu of the veterinarian certificate.

There are at least 17 states which also require the importer to obtain a permit to import the eggs prior to importing any hatching eggs.

This site has a brief breakdown of what is required to bring eggs into each of the 50 states.

http://www.guineafowl.com/GeneralStore/regulations.htm

If you are buying hatching eggs from eBay or even through BYC you should check with the seller to make sure that both you and the seller are complying with your state's laws governing the import of hatching eggs.

At least one state requires the same regulations for shipping in state as well as bringing eggs into the state.

 

[EweSheep]

It is not the USPS responsibility to check on NPIP status. It has been ongoing for years. It would not have made much difference anyway because many of us would have NPIP and be under the microscope of the government and it is so costly at times.

NPIP is sort of a "false" security but I can see the need for it when you exhibit poultry and practice good biosecurity in your flock. Common sense prevails in most cases.

I vote NO to NPIP. I've shipped and transport chickens and rabbits across the states and never had any issues with them. A vet certificate just as good as NPIP. Many other breeders have been going in that direction to get away from the government needs to control backyard folks when they really need to focus on the commercial farms, who is the BIGGEST pushers for NPIP because they think they can get away with it.

 

[R2elk]

It is not the USPS responsibility to check on NPIP status. It has been ongoing for years. It would not have made much difference anyway because many of us would have NPIP and be under the microscope of the government and it is so costly at times.

NPIP is sort of a "false" security but I can see the need for it when you exhibit poultry and practice good biosecurity in your flock. Common sense prevails in most cases.

I vote NO to NPIP. I've shipped and transport chickens and rabbits across the states and never had any issues with them. A vet certificate just as good as NPIP. Many other breeders have been going in that direction to get away from the government needs to control backyard folks when they really need to focus on the commercial farms, who is the BIGGEST pushers for NPIP because they think they can get away with it.

You are correct that it is not the responsibility of the USPS to check on whether or not hatching eggs are being shipped legally. In no way was I inferring anything about the USPS. As I said, check with the seller, and as I inferred check your state laws to be sure that you are bringing the eggs in legally.

Most states will accept a veterinary certificate of health. Some states require both a veterinary certificate of health an NPIP certificate as well as an import permit.

The problem with a lot of the sellers on eBay is that they are not only not NPIP certified but they are also not providing a veterinary certificate of health with the shipment. The other problem is that there are many people who do not have any idea of what their own state laws are nor the laws of the states that they are shipping hatching eggs, poultry or animals.

 

[suebee]

What good is NPIP anyway? Old diseases most chickens don't even get? I've shipped chickens and eggs and was never asked by USPS or State for paper work. A certificate of health would be a good thing if they're checking for current contagion.

 

[R2elk]

What good is NPIP anyway? Old diseases most chickens don't even get? I've shipped chickens and eggs and was never asked by USPS or State for paper work. A certificate of health would be a good thing if they're checking for current contagion.

It does not matter whether or not you think that NPIP is worthwhile, in many states it is a law that NPIP certification is an acceptable substitute for a veterinary certificate of health. It is their law.

I see that you are in North Carolina, do you know what your state laws are governing the import or export of poultry or hatching eggs?

http://www.ncagr.gov/vet/NCGenIE.htm

It isn't the job of the USPS to check, it is the job of the Ag Dept. of the individual states and the the individual shippers and the receivers of the goods.

Just because you have been getting away with shipping without the proper paperwork does not make what you are doing okay.

What is really necessary is for the purchasers to learn the requirements of their own states and to start demanding the proper paperwork from the suppliers.

 

[suebee]

I see your passion on this subject. Maybe you could head up a committee to change the individual state laws but for now no one really cares.
If we ever get diseases from poultry like the far east countries do and people start dying, the laws will be changed.

 

[R2elk]

I see your passion on this subject. Maybe you could head up a committee to change the individual state laws but for now no one really cares.
If we ever get diseases from poultry like the far east countries do and people start dying, the laws will be changed.

I don't have a problem with the laws in my state and because I don't live in the other states, I really don't care about their laws either because I am not shipping regulated items to those states.

What I do have a problem with are the people who don't even bother to learn the regulations of the states that they are illegally shipping regulated items to or worse yet those who know the regulations and go ahead and ignore them.

 

[EweSheep]

Bottom line, if the sellers don't state NPIP, it is the buyer's responsibility to ASK if they are NPIP certified. Then they can make their own decision whether or not to purchase NPIP certfified stock. Next thing the government will ask backyard poultry owners to vaccinate our chickens, no matter how isolated we are...it is getting ridiculous.


It is all about choices if you want to buy NPIP and Ebay don't have to put some clause that the hatching eggs MUST be of NPIP certified within a year. I don't think the government is going to check on everyone's NPIP and do each and every backyard poultry stock. This matter has been brought up about five years ago, when AV reared its ugly head in China but you have to remember that China and USA have different lifestyles, different purposes and different animal husbandry skills. If you read between the lines of the NPIP website, it boils down to government's control and greed, nothing more. Hatcheries are doing a good job keeping their NPIP status because it is a business, to provide mass production of poultry shipped weekly to backyard folks and farmers, including corporations (meat factory).

There are far much more non NPIP breeders out there than NPIP folks. You just gotta find them and I am one of those non NPIP breeders (my stock are from NPIP breeders) and I practice bio security to the best of my ability to maintain my flock and I have not yet came down with ANY respiratory diseases or deformities causing by diseases, other than occassional lice/mite issues due to stray wild birds/wild mice/rats coming in coops/runs which are quickly caught/released/killed and disposed properly.

If you want to enforce NPIP status on those Ebay sellers, then it is your choice to NOT to buy from those non NPIP folks even if they are well known and well recommended by people who has already gotten their eggs/chicks/birds. It is buyer's beware, bottom line, on Ebay or anything related to bird auction sites. NPIP does not give the security that their birds are completely diseased free...at a given point, they could have been "carriers" and you don't know it until they are stressed out, came down with something very minor or major that causes flock wipeouts. Like I said, it is false security and we assumed the risk when we buy from NPIP or non NPIP flock breeders. MG/MS is prevelant in most flocks, just about 80 percent of the flock in the USA has it, dormant, carriers or died from it and NPIP is wanting to add negative MG/MS as part of their program which that is fine if MS/MG is pretty bad in your county or state but it takes so much more work getting there and maintaining MS/MG free stock and be prepared to be tested often.

Bottom line, the choice is yours, to buy NPIP or non NPIP and understand the risks. I used to be FOR NPIP until I did some research and decided to get off the "bandwagon".

 

[EweSheep]

I also got friends from different IL State of Agricultures and they don't care, really nor have the manpower to track down everything coming and going in various states. They only care about the poultry in shows which they do require NPIP or vet's certificate in order exhibit your livestock. Some auctions near the borders of our state, sometimes DO require certification before the animal can be brought up for auctions. Horses require Coggin's test, period or your horse won't go on the auction block. Sometimes people will buy poultry on the private seller and there isn't anything the state can do about it, like a free trading going on. I've observed it over and over.

 

[EweSheep]

What good is NPIP anyway? Old diseases most chickens don't even get? I've shipped chickens and eggs and was never asked by USPS or State for paper work. A certificate of health would be a good thing if they're checking for current contagion.

I've shipped chickens to NY, and a couple of states and not once ever asked about paperwork. Put them in a USPS approved chicken box (or airline approved carrier) and off they go.

Some certain states like WA and VA, are very strict and have inspectors at those ports and if no papers, the animal will be shipped back or destroyed on the spot. Luckily I haven't shipped anything there but had birds shipped from there and no issues at all.