On February 27, 2025, during the routine inspection of a consignment of imported products from the Dominican Republic (DR), quarantine staff of the Department of Agriculture discovered a large quantity of table eggs hidden at the back of a shipping container.
The Quarantine Officers immediately intercepted, confiscated, and destroyed the shipment, which totaled 24,840 eggs, and the importer was charged for violating the Ordinance.
The Caribbean region faces a significant threat from Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), a disease that affects poultry and wild birds and is zoonotic, meaning it can also cause serious illness and death in humans. HPAI is currently present in North and South America, Europe, and Asia and was recently declared in nearby Puerto Rico.
The Department of Agriculture has been on high alert since 2022 to prevent the entry of this disease into the TCI to protect animal health, the health of our endemic birds, and public health.
Additionally, the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands has been making significant progress toward food security, and the introduction of HPAI could severely impact these efforts.
It is important to note that the Dominican Republic has not declared itself free from Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, making it a high-risk zone for disease transmission into the TCI.
Furthermore, the Dominican Republic is known to have other notifiable diseases of concern, such as African Swine Fever, which affects pigs. As a result, all pork products, including sausages, are strictly prohibited from importation into TCI.
At this time, a Risk Assessment has not been conducted for imports from the Dominican Republic, and as such, the importation of animal products from the DR remains strictly prohibited.
