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Old 05-21-2017, 02:34 PM   #1
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Can we bring fresh eggs across the border?

We have chickens and want to bring some of our eggs with us to the Rally. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is one of the most confusing web sites I have ever encountered for getting questions answered. I have read conflicting information on different drill down links trying determine if we can bring our eggs for personal use.

Anyone have first hand experience with bringing fresh eggs from the US to Canada?
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Old 05-21-2017, 03:02 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by arniesea View Post
We have chickens and want to bring some of our eggs with us to the Rally. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is one of the most confusing web sites I have ever encountered for getting questions answered. I have read conflicting information on different drill down links trying determine if we can bring our eggs for personal use.

Anyone have first hand experience with bringing fresh eggs from the US to Canada?

My two cents: wash them really well, no "soil" on them at all. List them as one of your fridge items on your list that you may offer to the border guard on crossing. That is truly the only person that could give you a straight answer for that day.


Edit: commercial eggs are rarely a problem unless there is an outbreak somewhere. I apologize for not knowing about farmer fresh eggs.
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Old 05-21-2017, 03:34 PM   #3
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My experience is to not bring anything fresh across the boarder,.
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Old 05-21-2017, 03:37 PM   #4
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Yes , just put your farm fresh eggs in a commercial egg carton and the border guards won't know which chickens they came from and they probably don't care
We have never been questioned about eggs and only rarely about certain meat products and fresh produce and fruit.
The Canadian border guards seem much more interested in tobacco , alcohol and firearms than what your breakfast or dinner menu is . We will be making our 38th fishing trip to Canada in June and we have never had one food item confiscated
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Old 05-21-2017, 03:50 PM   #5
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My most interesting border crossing from the US into Canada fresh fruit problem was on US 97 when heading to Osoyoos in 2014. They took my Canadian Blueberries. Since they didn't give me any grief a few months earlier at Niagara Falls with California berries, I thought I could take advantage of a sale in the US. They had me put them in a freezer - maybe someone wanted to make a pie!
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Old 05-21-2017, 04:18 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by arniesea View Post
We have chickens and want to bring some of our eggs with us to the Rally. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is one of the most confusing web sites I have ever encountered for getting questions answered. I have read conflicting information on different drill down links trying determine if we can bring our eggs for personal use.

Anyone have first hand experience with bringing fresh eggs from the US to Canada?
We had to pitch some chicken and eggs prior to crossing because of an avian flu outbreak a couple of years ago - it looks as if the avian flu outbreak is confined to Indiana for now. However it appears you can't bring in fresh uncooked poultry so I wouldn't be surprised if eggs aren't allowed. But I'm not sure since the Canadian Food Inspection agency site is so confusing! We plan to purchase our milk, eggs, and butter in Osoyoos. We are bringing some cheese and some cooked deli turkey meat in the original package. Fruits and vegetables are also purchased in Osoyoos because of some specific restrictions on importing from Washington to BC.

Since these rules are in place to protect the Canadian food supply we err on the side of caution and scrupulous honesty.

Time to go check the amount of alcohol we can bring across....
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Old 05-21-2017, 04:28 PM   #7
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We had to pitch some chicken and eggs prior to crossing because of an avian flu outbreak a couple of years ago - it looks as if the avian flu outbreak is confined to Indiana for now. However it appears you can't bring in fresh uncooked poultry so I wouldn't be surprised if eggs aren't allowed. But I'm not sure since the Canadian Food Inspection agency site is so confusing! We plan to purchase our milk, eggs, and butter in Osoyoos. We are bringing some cheese and some cooked deli turkey meat in the original package. Fruits and vegetables are also purchased in Osoyoos because of some specific restrictions on importing from Washington to BC.

Since these rules are in place to protect the Canadian food supply we err on the side of caution and scrupulous honesty.

Time to go check the amount of alcohol we can bring across....
Sorry, but excuse me while I laugh, as we all know that there is a force field at the border which will keep microbes and viruses from crossing, so it is extremely important that border guards on either side stop certain items. That's why if there is a flu outbreak in British Columbia nobody gets sick in the State of Washington. Some of these restrictions.......what a crock!
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Old 05-21-2017, 04:32 PM   #8
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That's why if there is a flu outbreak in British Columbia nobody gets sick in the State of Washington. Some of these restrictions.......what a crock!
Well, if you were a chicken farmer and you had to kill 40,000 of your chickens because of an avian flu outbreak, you'd be concerned too.
I entered a turkey barn once to shoot pix for a story on avian flu. Had to put on full disposable coveralls and walk through a disinfectant pool before going into the secure site.
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Old 05-21-2017, 05:16 PM   #9
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Sorry, but excuse me while I laugh, as we all know that there is a force field at the border which will keep microbes and viruses from crossing...
There are force fields: they are called "Canadian Border Services Agency" and "U.S. Customs and Border Protection". Since the subject microbes and viruses are unable to walk or fly through the air by themselves (over all that open border), localized "force fields" at entry stations on highways and at airports work by stopping the carrier products from crossing in those locations.
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Old 05-21-2017, 05:55 PM   #10
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Carl - check out the CDC website for more information about the LPAI virus found in wild birds and the HPAI virus found in commercial poultry flocks. Containment of HPAI virus is important to prevent transmission to humans since respiratory illnesses have the potential to cause pandemics. Public health is another important "force field" to protect human health.
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Old 05-21-2017, 08:43 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by arniesea View Post
We have chickens and want to bring some of our eggs with us to the Rally. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is one of the most confusing web sites I have ever encountered for getting questions answered. I have read conflicting information on different drill down links trying determine if we can bring our eggs for personal use.

Anyone have first hand experience with bringing fresh eggs from the US to Canada?
You can call the border and ask.
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Old 05-21-2017, 08:49 PM   #12
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Thanks for everyone who responded to my post. The point is that a geographical boundary between two countries is not going to stop the migration of any disease, whether it is avian, mammalian, reptilian, etc. Anyone who believes otherwise is kidding themselves or has no understanding of vector transmission. Yes, border checks may delay or help, but they will not always prevent problems. So With all due respect, I am still laughing.
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Old 05-21-2017, 08:57 PM   #13
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Thank you all for your replies. It appears that if the moon is full, and the wind is from the north, we will be ok. Since the Avian flue is just in Indiana, we will risk the commercial carton approach. If we have to give up the eggs, so be it.

Thanks again.
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Old 05-21-2017, 09:03 PM   #14
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Carl - check out the CDC website for more information about the LPAI virus found in wild birds and the HPAI virus found in commercial poultry flocks. Containment of HPAI virus is important to prevent transmission to humans since respiratory illnesses have the potential to cause pandemics. Public health is another important "force field" to protect human health.
I fully understand. However, all these efforts will not stop the inevitable. Are border agents going to shoot down every wild bird flying over the border. They typically don't land at checkpoints and hand over their birdie passports. Prime examples......killer bees migrated from Brazil. Then there is the Zika virus. And viral diseases from ticks. Yes, microbes, viruses, and spores can and do cross the border UNCHECKED!
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Old 05-21-2017, 09:18 PM   #15
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Yes, microbes, viruses, and spores can and do cross the border UNCHECKED!
Yes, those which are carried by wild animals, particularly birds. On the other hand, many problems are present only in domestic animals and agricultural products, or spread only very slowly by wild animals which have little interaction with domestic animals. I see no reason to let every problem spread without controls just because some problems can't be stopped.

But it doesn't matter what I think; we have border controls and all any of us need to do is obey them. You don't even need to know what is allowed across any border - just declare what you have and the border agents will tell you what is allowed. Obviously, to minimize waste, one should not plan on carrying products which you know to be disallowed, or huge quantities of anything.
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Old 05-21-2017, 09:19 PM   #16
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I have nothing of value to add to the topic, other than an opinion (and everyone has one). I have friends that live close to the US/Canada border and cross frequently. ONE TIME, when asked about restricted items (no firearms), they honestly forgot about a piece of sausage (cooked and wrapped in aluminum foil) in the back of the refrigerator. It was found. They are now and forever on the "list" to be checked when crossing. Sometimes that crossing can take minutes, sometimes hours depending on the customs agent.

My point, I'll never cross with fresh food. And every consumable will be "declared" right down to spices. We may not like it, in fact hate it and think it's ridiculous, but as a US citizen crossing into a "foreign" country, I'm going to be as honest and careful as I can. I like Canada, want to go back with as few hassles as possible. YMMV
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Old 05-21-2017, 09:26 PM   #17
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They looked in our refrigerator. Believe that was coming back into the U.S.
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Old 05-21-2017, 09:26 PM   #18
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Carl-

I'm retiring July 1st from a 20 year stint in public health which is why I have an interest in disease transmission and found the CDC website an interesting read. Border crossing restrictions are just a piece of the struggle to prevent outbreaks of disease.

My favorite memory is the woman who wouldn't ride the local city bus because she was terrified she would catch the Ebola virus. She also steadfastly refused to immunize her baby against influenza which was the real and immediate threat! I never ceased to be amazed by the human comedy.
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Old 05-21-2017, 09:39 PM   #19
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Yes, those which are carried by wild animals, particularly birds. On the other hand, many problems are present only in domestic animals and agricultural products, or spread only very slowly by wild animals which have little interaction with domestic animals. I see no reason to let every problem spread without controls just because some problems can't be stopped.

But it doesn't matter what I think; we have border controls and all any of us need to do is obey them. You don't even need to know what is allowed across any border - just declare what you have and the border agents will tell you what is allowed. Obviously, to minimize waste, one should not plan on carrying products which you know to be disallowed, or huge quantities of anything.
I agree with you Brian and Donna too. I never bring anything fresh across the border either way, and I always check to see what is prohibited. And I'm not trying to be contrary. I have a degree in biology, with multiple credits in microbiology, and spent 22 years in the US Army and Reserves, with 16 years in a Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) position. I am well educated in disease transmission. The only point I was trying to make is that I know that border checks may prevent some hazardous critters, including humans, from crossing the border but it is folly to think it is a foolproof or end all method, and in some cases, while well meaning, it is a downright joke.
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Old 05-21-2017, 10:03 PM   #20
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Mailed a crate of oranges to you Carl.
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