No Flight, No Fight Act of 2026

(1) Civil aviation, including the carriage of cargo by air, is critical to the national transportation system and economy of the United States.

(2) The transportation of certain live animals by air, particularly adult roosters, presents unique challenges to aviation safety, biosecurity, and airline operational efficiency, including risks of stress-induced behavior, potential disease transmission, and disruptions during flight.

(3) Rapid air transport of adult roosters has been associated with facilitating illegal activities, such as cockfighting, which poses additional biosecurity risks through unregulated movement of birds that may carry avian diseases.

(4) Restricting non-essential air shipments of adult roosters, while preserving exemptions for large-scale commercial poultry operations, will promote safer and more efficient air cargo operations without disrupting legitimate agricultural supply chains in the commercial egg and meat industries.

(5) The Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Transportation have authority over the safety and regulation of civil aviation, including the carriage of cargo by aircraft.

Chapter 449 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

Except as provided in subsection (b), no air carrier or other person operating an aircraft in interstate or foreign air transportation shall knowingly transport an adult rooster as cargo.

The prohibition under subsection (a) shall not apply if—

(1) the transport of the adult rooster(s) originates from or is destined for a commercial farm; and

(2) the transport is conducted for legitimate agricultural purposes.

Any person claiming an exemption under subsection (b) shall provide documentation certifying that the originating or destination farm qualifies as a commercial farm, including financial records or attestations consistent with guidelines of the Economic Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture to the air carrier prior to the transport of the adult rooster(s). No air carrier may accept an adult rooster for transport without certification.

In this section:

The term adult rooster means a male chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) that has reached sexual maturity, typically characterized by the development of spurs, a large comb, and crowing behavior, and is at least 6 months of age.

The term air carrier has the meaning given such term in section 40102.

The term commercial farm means any farm with $350,000 or more in annual gross cash farm income (including sales of crops and livestock, government payments, and other farm-related income), as classified by the Economic Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture.

The term interstate or foreign air transportation has the meaning given the term interstate air transportation in section 40102, including transportation in foreign air commerce.

The analysis for chapter 449 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: