Canada’s total chicken meat imports are forecast at 225,000 tonnes in 2027, down 5,000 tonnes from the estimated 230,000 tonnes in 2026, according to a recent market report from the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) post in Canada.

FAS attributed the downward trend to sufficient domestic supplies and stable domestic requirements. Most chicken meat imports are controlled and subject to several tariff rate quotas (TRQs). Additional imports of products subject to TRQs are concentrated under two import-for-re-export programmes, which require the imported chicken to be re-exported. Canada also imports products that are not import-controlled, such as spent fowl and certain further-processed chicken products.

Market conditions in the US play a significant role in import decisions. A large price differential remains between lower US wholesale chicken prices and higher Canadian prices. Together with the opportunity to buy fresh cuts rather than frozen cuts from other suppliers, this creates a strong incentive for importers to source US chicken, especially under programmes that provide a customs duty exemption.

The decline in imports until the COVID-19 pandemic year was largely attributed to federal border enforcement, which uncovered broiler meat subject to TRQs wrongly labelled as spent fowl, which is not subject to import controls. Federal authorities also took enforcement action under the import-for-re-export programmes, delisting noncompliant companies. 

Over the last three years, imports of spent fowl and imports under duty-exempt programmes have picked up, leading to renewed scrutiny from the domestic industry and federal authorities. Border enforcement authorities are considering genetic tests to differentiate between broiler meat and spent fowl meat.

Canada typically imports chicken wings and breasts. Wings are mainly destined for foodservice, while breast meat is used in further processing, foodservice and retail. The US is Canada’s largest supplier, typically commanding around 80% of the import market, followed by countries such as Thailand, Brazil and, more recently, Chile. Some Canadian importers are discouraged from importing Brazilian chicken, despite its lower cost, because it cannot be re-exported to the US.

Chile was the first country to benefit from Canada’s market access commitments under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) TRQ in 2023, and is viewed as a major emerging supplier. In 2025, Chile outpaced Brazil to become the third-largest supplier, just behind Thailand, the second largest.

Ukraine is another emerging supplier on a much smaller scale, primarily of frozen wings. With the entry into force of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with the EU in 2017, Canada also started importing certain chicken products from EU countries, such as frozen wings and processed products from Hungary and Germany, adding competitive pressure on traditional suppliers.