Breakthrough in China-US Poultry Meat Trade: China Lifts Poultry Export Restrictions on 17 U.S. States

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), an agency under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), has officially updated its webpage on China export restrictions and announced that China has lifted the poultry meat export bans imposed on 17 U.S. states due to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). The new regulation took effect on May 15, 2026. This marks a landmark breakthrough in China-US poultry meat trade over the past four years, signals the full resumption of the Regionalization Agreement for Safe Poultry Product Trade signed in 2020, and paves the way for additional U.S. states to secure export clearance in the future.

I. List of the 17 Approved States & Mandatory Export Requirements

1. Full List of the 17 Eligible States

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia

2. Core Qualifications for Exports to China

Only formal and qualified enterprises located within the above-approved states may lawfully export poultry meat products manufactured on or after May 15, 2026 to China. Products produced prior to this date remain restricted and are prohibited from entry into China.

II. Background to the Lifted Restrictions: Resumption of the Four-Year Suspended Regionalization Agreement

The lifting of these restrictions centers on the resumption of bilateral implementation of the Regionalization Agreement on Safe Trade in Poultry Products reached by China and the U.S. in 2020. As a key component of the China-US Phase One Economic and Trade Agreement, the accord was designed to avoid blanket trade blockades, enabling targeted epidemic prevention while sustaining regular trade flows.

1. Core Provisions of the Agreement

• Targeted epidemic control: Avian influenza restrictions apply solely to affected states, with non-epidemic states exempt from bans.

• Time-bound clearance mechanism: Affected states may submit deregulation reports within 90 days upon completion of thorough disinfection and decontamination.

• Streamlined review process: Following a state’s submission of final decontamination reports, Chinese authorities shall complete review and provide feedback within five working days.

2. Context of Suspension and Resumption

Starting August 2022, China suspended implementation of the agreement and imposed a nationwide ban on U.S. poultry meat imports. As a result, numerous disease-free U.S. states were long barred from exporting poultry products to China. Statistics show U.S. poultry meat exports to China plummeted from a peak of nearly USD 1.1 billion in 2022 to USD 286 million in 2025, inflicting severe losses on the U.S. poultry industry. The full reinstatement of the agreement represents a major achievement of China-US economic and trade communications, and sets an example for global agricultural trade built on scientific prevention and targeted regulatory measures.

III. 27 States Still Subject to Restrictions; Next Batch of Eligible States Under Review

Twenty-seven U.S. states still lack authorization to export poultry meat to China for the time being.

Nevertheless, the industry faces positive prospects: major U.S. poultry-producing states including Georgia, Mississippi and Missouri have satisfied the agreement’s 90-day post-decontamination threshold. They will soon submit deregulation reports and are highly likely to form the next cohort of states approved for exports to China.

With accelerated review procedures, the scope of U.S. poultry meat export access to China will continue to expand.

IV. Significant Impacts on Trade and Import Industries

1. Rebalanced market supply and demand: China serves as a core consumption market for U.S. poultry meat, particularly edible by-products such as chicken feet. The removal of restrictions reopens export channels for U.S. poultry to China, with trade volumes expected to recover gradually.

2. Clarified compliance thresholds for imports

• Import of U.S. poultry food products: Manufacturers must be listed on the approved enterprise registry of the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC).

• Import of U.S. poultry feed-related products: Overseas manufacturers must complete dual registration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) and GACC to achieve lawful customs clearance.