Live Animals

Live animals are a special category of goods in international trade, referring to animals transported and delivered in a live state, including livestock, poultry, pets, wild animals, aquatic animals, and laboratory animals. Their use scenarios mainly involve the introduction of breeding livestock and poultry, pet trade, zoo exchanges, animals for scientific research, and the upstream of the meat industry chain. Unlike ordinary goods, the transport of live animals must strictly comply with international and importing country animal health regulations, such as OIE standards, CITES Convention (endangered species), quarantine approval, and isolation quarantine requirements. Precautions include: transport requires dedicated ventilation, temperature control, water and feed supply facilities, and air transport mostly uses IATA Live Animals Regulations (LAR); official quarantine certificates from the exporting country, import permits, and veterinary health certificates must be obtained; insurance must cover death and disease risks; trade terms are recommended to use CIP or DAP to clarify the allocation of risks. The difference from 'animal products' (such as meat and fur) is that live animals are in a live state, involving animal welfare, disease transmission risks, and more complex customs clearance procedures. Foreign trade practitioners need to confirm bilateral quarantine agreements in advance to avoid return shipment or culling due to incomplete documents.