Import guide · North America
Canada poultry import guide: trade evidence, permits and border steps
Canada reported USD 488 million of poultry-meat imports in 2024 (HS 0207, 177,804 t), 81.9% from the United States, 9.1% from Brazil and 6.8% from Chile, and USD 226 million of shell eggs, 98.0% from the United States. Meat must come from a CFIA-recognised inspection system and an eligible foreign establishment; chicken, turkey and eggs are tariff-rate-quota goods, where within-access imports need a permit tied to a quota share and above-access imports pay the higher duty.
Checked . Trade figures are 2025 and 2024 UN Comtrade data published by World Bank WITS, by product code; 2025 reporting is still incomplete. They are historical evidence only — not proof that any origin or plant is eligible today, has stock, or will quote.
Trade evidence by product lane, 2025 and 2024
| Product lane | HS code | 2025 imports | 2024 imports |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poultry meatUnited States 81.9%, Brazil 9.1%, Chile 6.8%, Hungary 1.6%. | 0207 | USD 572.0 million196,289 t | USD 488.3 million177,804 t |
| Eggs in shellTable and hatching eggs combined; quantity not reported in kg. United States 98.0%. Egg products (HS 0408) separately: USD 10.6 million (United States 76.2%, China 18.9%). | 0407 | USD 301.2 million | USD 226.0 million |
- The commodity-specific Import Control List entries and current chicken, turkey and egg allocation notices were not verified for this page.
- No origin-specific AIRS determination for eggs or egg products was run for this page.
Official import authority, permit and certificate sources
Eligibility is specific to the commodity, origin country and region, establishment and current disease status, and it changes. Check the current official list for the exact consignment. How rules differ for live birds, hatching eggs, eggs, meat and machinery.
- CFIA — Eligible countries and meat products for importation into Canada Recognised inspection systems by country and species; link to eligible establishments
- CFIA — Automated Import Reference System (AIRS) Requirements by commodity, origin and end use
- Global Affairs Canada — Tariff rate quotas: agricultural products Quota shares, import permits and General Import Permit No. 100
Disease control, biosecurity and hatchery projects
For buyers building or equipping a farm or hatchery in Canada. Each note is limited to what the linked official page says (Canada); checked . It is not legal advice, a disease-status check or a statement that any design or supplier will be approved.
Not verified for this guide
- No farm-level disease-reporting or biosecurity page was read for this guide; federal and provincial rules apply.
Confirm locally before design or order
- Provincial requirements and supply-management quota for new production.
- Any current avian-influenza control zone at the site.
Ask farm and hatchery suppliers
- Show the one-way flow on the layout: egg receiving, storage, setting, hatching, chick handling and dispatch, with separate clean and dirty routes for people, eggs, chicks, waste and vehicles.
- Which cleaning, disinfection and hatching-egg disinfection steps the design supports, and which consumables and procedures stay with the buyer.
- Which drawings, data sheets and declarations the supplier will provide for the local permit or approval file — and which the buyer's engineer must prepare.
- How mortality, hatchery waste and wash water leave the site, and who supplies that equipment.
- Which performance figures (hatchability, chick quality, production) are design assumptions: they depend on flock health, egg quality and management, so treat them as supplier statements, not guarantees.
International baseline: WOAH Terrestrial Code, chapter 6.5 — biosecurity procedures in poultry production. Answers are supplier statements until documents are checked.
Border entry steps
- Check the species and product entry for the origin in CFIA's eligible-countries table, then the exact plant in the eligible-establishment list.
- Run AIRS for the exact commodity, origin and end use to get the certificate and permit conditions.
- Within-access quantities need a specific import permit held by a quota-share holder; above-access imports use General Import Permit No. 100 at the higher duty.
Buyer checklist and product specification
- Name the exact product: species, cut or form, chilled or frozen, packing, labelling language and shelf life required on arrival.
- State the volume per shipment and per year, delivery window and Incoterm, and the total programme or lot value (USD 250,000 or more).
- Confirm who is the licensed importer of record and who holds the import permit or registration.
- Ask every offering plant to show it is on the destination's current establishment list for that product — before price is discussed.
- Say who holds the quota share or how above-access duty is priced into the offer.
- USDA FAS (CA2026-0024, 17 Sep 2026) reports that Canada typically imports chicken wings and breasts: wings mainly for foodservice, breast meat for further processing, foodservice and retail.
Cold-chain and live-animal handling
- Frozen product is commonly shipped at −18 °C or colder; state the temperature records required at entry.
Sourcing poultry or eggs for Canada through HatchMatch
If you import poultry meat or eggs into Canada, one confidential brief lets our team approach several suppliers for you and screen each offer against the rules published by CFIA and Global Affairs Canada before any introduction, so offers are compared on the same specification and documents. The service is free for buyers and starts at USD 250,000 in total annual, seasonal or single-lot value. There is no direct buyer–supplier contact, and HatchMatch does not guarantee supply, price, certification or clearance.
RFQ specification template
| Field | What to state |
|---|---|
| Product and form | Species, cut or egg type (table eggs, liquid, frozen or dried egg product), chilled or frozen |
| Specification | Size or weight range, grade, trim or functional specification, shelf life required on arrival |
| Packing and labelling | Inner and outer packing, carton weight, label language and retail or food-service format |
| Volume and frequency | Quantity per shipment, shipments per year and programme length |
| Delivery | Destination port, delivery window and Incoterm with named place |
| Origins | Acceptable origins and a fallback origin in case of a disease suspension |
| Documents | Destination certificate model, plant listing proof and the food-safety documents your business requires |
| Value | Total annual, seasonal or single-lot value — product briefs start at USD 250,000 |
Quality and traceability documents to request
- The official certificate for this product and origin that CFIA and Global Affairs Canada accepts — ask for a specimen before price is agreed.
- Proof that the producing plant is on Canada's current list for the exact product, read on the day you order.
- Copies of the food-safety certificates the supplier states it holds, with scope, site and expiry — a logo is not proof.
- Lot coding that links each carton to the plant and production or packing date, and how the supplier would trace and recall a lot.
- Temperature records for storage and transport, and who keeps the data-logger files.
These are buyer checks, not a list of legal requirements; the authorities linked above set what is mandatory.
Buyer questions
- How much poultry meat does Canada import, and from where?
- Canada reported USD 488.3 million (177,804 t) of poultry-meat imports in 2024 (HS 0207, UN Comtrade). United States 81.9%, Brazil 9.1%, Chile 6.8%, Hungary 1.6%. A recorded flow is not proof that an origin or plant is eligible today.
- What does Canada check before poultry or eggs can enter?
- Check the species and product entry for the origin in CFIA's eligible-countries table, then the exact plant in the eligible-establishment list. Run AIRS for the exact commodity, origin and end use to get the certificate and permit conditions. Requirements change with disease events, so confirm them for the exact product, origin and plant.
- Can HatchMatch source poultry or eggs for a buyer in Canada?
- Yes, as a buyer-side intermediary. You send one brief; a person reviews it, then our team approaches suitable suppliers on your behalf and compares their offers against your specification and Canada's import rules. It is free for buyers, starts at USD 250,000 per programme or lot, and keeps your identity confidential. HatchMatch is not the producer, exporter, importer or certifier.
Send an RFQ
HatchMatch coordinates sourcing and RFQs for commercial buyers. It does not own farms, hatcheries, slaughterhouses or stock, and cannot guarantee supply, customs clearance, delivery, certification or price. Requests start at USD 250,000; buyers pay nothing. Every brief is reviewed by a person before any supplier is approached, and your identity stays private — we aim to reply within two business days.
Chicks, hatching eggs and breeder stock are scoped inside a hatchery or breeder project brief. Sourcing other agri-food commodities? Global B2B Group commodity sourcing.