Authorized zones for exporting poultry to the EU: what changes for importers in 2026

Key data

European importers of live poultry, fertile eggs, day-old chicks and fresh poultry meat have an urgent task: to verify that their suppliers in Canada, United Kingdom or United States remain located in authorized zones following the update of the Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2466. This regulation amends Annexes V and XIV of Regulation (EU) 2021/404 and enters into force on the same day it is signed, 28 October 2026.

The mechanism that triggers these changes is sanitary regionalization: when a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak is detected in a territory, the EU does not block the entire country, but rather delimits the affected areas and suspends only the authorizations for those specific areas. The practical result is that the map of authorized zones changes with each regulatory update, and operators must monitor it closely.

What does this regulation establish?

Regulation (EU) 2026/2466 updates the lists of third countries and territories — or specific zones thereof — from which entry into the European Union is permitted for the following products:

• Live poultry
• Fertile eggs
• Day-old chicks
• Fresh poultry meat
• Fresh game bird meat

The changes affect exclusively the entries corresponding to Canada, United Kingdom and United States in Annexes V and XIV of the base Regulation (EU) 2021/404. The stated reason is the evolution of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks detected in those territories.

The regulation is an Implementing Regulation, which means it has direct effect in all EU Member States without each country needing to transpose it into its national legislation. Spain, France, Germany or any other Member State applies these restrictions immediately and uniformly.

Economic and operational impact

The most immediate impact is operational: a shipment of poultry or poultry meat from a zone that has lost authorization will be rejected at the EU border control point. This implies direct costs for return or destruction of the goods, loss of product value, additional logistics costs and possible contractual penalties with the supplier.

From the exporter side, operators in Canada, United Kingdom and USA operating from zones affected by new HPAI outbreaks will have to adapt their health certification to the new territorial delimitations. Without updated certification in accordance with the new zones, the goods cannot enter the EU.

The principle of sanitary regionalization protects trade in unaffected zones, but requires active monitoring of the authorization map. A zone can move from authorized to suspended — or vice versa — with each regulatory update, and the timeframes between outbreak detection and regulation publication can be very short.

Who does it affect?

• European importers of live poultry, fertile eggs, day-old chicks, fresh poultry meat and fresh game bird meat from Canada, United Kingdom or USA
• Exporters located in Canada, United Kingdom or USA that sell these products to the European market
• Logistics operators and customs agents that manage the clearance of these shipments at the border
• European distributors and wholesalers that depend on the supply of poultry or poultry products from these three countries
• Foreign trade advisors and official veterinarians that manage the health documentation of these imports

Practical example

A Spanish importer that regularly purchases fresh chicken meat from a supplier located in a region of the US Midwest receives an order in transit when Regulation (EU) 2026/2466 enters into force. Upon arrival at the EU border control point, the veterinary authority verifies that the supplier's zone of origin has been removed from Annex XIV as a result of a new HPAI outbreak detected in that area.

Result: the shipment is rejected at the border. The importer bears the costs of returning or destroying the goods, plus the logistics expenses already incurred. To avoid this situation, the importer should have verified the authorization status of their supplier's zone before the goods left the country of origin, and required the exporter to provide updated health certification in accordance with the new territorial delimitations.

What should companies do now?

1. Verify the zone of origin of each supplier in Canada, United Kingdom and USA and compare it with the updated lists of Annexes V and XIV of Regulation (EU) 2021/404, as they stand after the amendment introduced by Regulation (EU) 2026/2466.
2. Contact affected suppliers to confirm whether their production zone remains authorized and request updated health certification in accordance with the new territorial delimitations.
3. Review shipments in transit: if there are goods already sent from zones that have lost authorization, anticipate possible rejection at the border and activate the incident management protocol.
4. Update contracts with suppliers to include clauses that transfer the responsibility of verifying the validity of zone authorization to the exporter, with penalties in case of border rejection.
5. Establish a regulatory alert system to receive notifications when new amendments to Regulation (EU) 2021/404 are published, given that the map of authorized zones can change frequently depending on the evolution of HPAI outbreaks.
6. Coordinate with the customs agent or official veterinarian to ensure that all health documentation presented at the border reflects the zones in force at the time of clearance.

Official source

Consult complete regulation in official source

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/./legal-content/AUTO/?uri=OJ:L_202602466