Effective September 3, 2013, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) 601.9.3.4 to expand the mailability of adult birds to include any disease-free live adult bird, weighing no more than 25 pounds, if the mailer and the mailing is compliant with all applicable governmental laws and regulations.
The DMM provides a list of the types of disease-free adult birds that can be mailed domestically. That list is currently restricted to adult chickens, turkeys, guinea fowl, doves, pigeons, pheasants, partridges, quail, ducks, geese, and swans.
With this revision, the Postal Service expands its mailing standards to allow for the shipment of any disease-free live adult bird, weighing no more than 25 pounds, which can be legally transported. Mailers will be required to be aware of, and comply with, all applicable governmental laws and regulations, including the Lacey Act, the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and regulations of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and any state, municipal, or local ordinances. Mailings must also be compliant with the guidelines provided in USPS Publication 14, Prohibitions and Restrictions on Mailing Animals, Plants, and Related Matter, Chapter 5.
This revision was first announced in the April 24, 2013 proposed rule, Federal Register notice (78 FR 24132-24134), titled New Mailing Standards for Live Animals and Special Handling. In addition to the expanded mailability of live birds, the proposed rule also included new requirements for the use of Special Handling service with shipments of certain live animals, new barcoding requirements for Special Handling service, and a restriction on the mail classes that can be used with mailings of live reptiles and amphibians.
The Postal Service received numerous comments in response to its April 24, 2013 proposed rule. As a result of these comments, the Postal Service has decided to proceed only with the expanded mailability of adult birds, and not to continue with the other proposals at this time. However, the Postal Service may reconsider these proposals at a future date.
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
* * * * *
600 Basic Standards for All Mailing Services
601 Mailability
* * * * *
9.0 Perishables
* * * * *
9.3 Live Animals
* * * * *
[Revise the title and introductory text of 9.3.4 as follows:]
9.3.4 Adult Birds
Disease-free adult birds, weighing no more than 25 pounds, may be mailed domestically. Mailers must comply with all applicable governmental laws and regulations, including the Lacey Act, the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and regulations of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and any state, municipal, or local ordinances. Mailings must also be compliant with the guidelines provided in USPS Publication 14, Prohibitions and Restrictions on Mailing Animals, Plants, and Related Matter, Chapter 5. In addition, each container or package must be marked as required by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under 50 CFR 14. Adult birds are mailable as follows:
a. The mailer must send adult birds by Priority Mail Express in secure containers approved by the manager, Product Classification (see 608.8.0 for address).
* * * * *
[Revise the text of 9.3.5 as follows:]
9.3.5 Warm-Blooded Animals
Warm-blooded animals, except for adult birds and specified day-old birds under the specific conditions in this section, are not mailable (e.g., hamsters, mice, rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, cats, dogs, and squirrels).
* * * * *
We will incorporate these revisions into the September update of the online DMM, which is available via Postal Explorer® at http://pe.usps.com.
— Product Classification,
Pricing, 7-25-13
