GovWire

Guidance: Export plants and plant products from Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Animal Plant Health Agency

August 10
14:00 2022

The government has introducednew legislation to make changes to how the Northern Ireland Protocol will apply. You should continue to use the guidance below for now.It will be updated in due course, giving you time to prepare for any new requirements.

Export plants and plant products

When you export regulated plants and plant products from Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and Northern Ireland to other countries, you need to:

  • check if your plants need a phytosanitary certificate by contacting the plant health authority in the destination country (and if you cannot find details on the IPPC website or are unsure of the requirements, contact your UK plant health authority or inspector if you know them)
  • check if your plants need laboratory testing of samples to make sure theyre free from pests and diseases or for growing season inspections - contact your local plant health inspector
  • apply for a phytosanitary certificate from the relevant UK plant health authority before export
  • register as a professional operator, if you have not already done so

If you export as a private citizen (you are not registered as a company or sole trader), please contact APHA for information on the process of how you can apply. Email planthealth.info@apha.gov.uk.

UK plant health authorities

You can contact the UKs plant health authorities to check if plants and plant products you intend to export need to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate.

England and Wales

The relevant plant authority in England and Wales is the Animal Plant Health Agency (APHA).

Contact your local APHA plant health and seeds inspector or contact the Centre for International Trade (CIT):

CIT Plants Headquarters
Foss House
Kings Pool
1-2 Peasholme Green
York

Telephone: 0300 1000 313 - select option 2 when calling

Email: planthealth.info@apha.gov.uk

Scotland

The relevant plant authority in Scotland is SASA (plant health), a division of the Scottish Government Agriculture and Rural Economy Directorate. Contact SASA:

Telephone: 0131 244 8890

Email: info@sasa.gov.scot

Northern Ireland

The plant authority in Northern Ireland is the plant and tree health department in the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).

Contact the DAERA Plant Health Inspection Branch:

Telephone: 0300 200 7847

Email: planthealth@daera-ni.gov.uk

Channel Islands and Isle of Man

The Channel Islands and Isle of Man have their own plant health authorities. Find more plant health information from plant health authorities in:

Apply for a phytosanitary certificate

You may need a phytosanitary certificate if youre exporting:

  • plants, including fruit, vegetables and cut flowers
  • plant products
  • seeds
  • grain
  • bulbs
  • potatoes
  • machinery or vehicles which have been operated for agricultural or forestry purposes
  • wood and wood products

All these goods must be inspected before you can get a phytosanitary certificate.

Read Forestry Commission guidance if you want to export wood, wood products and bark.

You can use the Apply for plant export certificates and inspections service for:

  • plants, including fruit, vegetables and cut flowers
  • plant products
  • grain
  • seeds
  • bulbs
  • potatoes
  • machinery or vehicles which have been operated for agricultural or forestry purposes

If youre exporting certain fruits and vegetables, you may need a certificate of conformity as well as a phytosanitary certificate.

You apply a different way to export plants from Scotland and Northern Ireland. Contact the plant health authorities in Scotland and Northern Ireland for more information.

Apply for a certificate to re-export goods

Re-export (also known as re-forwarding) is when goods are imported into a country and then exported to another country.

If youve imported goods to Great Britain and then want to move them to a different country, it may be possible to apply for a re-forwarding certificate.

Plant health inspectors will only be able to issue a re-forwarding certificate if they can be confident that the goods meet the destination countrys import requirements.

If you apply for a re-forwarding certificate, the inspector will decide whether a further inspection is needed. You may need a further inspection if the:

  • destination countrys rules say you must
  • goods have been exposed to a risk of infestation or contamination after being imported

It may be that the destination country has certain import requirements that include testing or growing season inspections. You should check this before you import the goods into Great Britain, as the phytosanitary certificate you use to import the goods will need to include this information if you wish to forward them on. This original phytosanitary certificate, or certified copies, will need to accompany the goods when they are re-exported.

You can apply for a re-forwarding certificate using the plant health export service, Apply for plant export certificates and inspections service.

Register and apply with online export services

If youre exporting from England or Wales, you must register as a professional operator and apply for a phytosanitary certificate with:

If youre based in England or Wales, contact your local APHA inspector if you want to do a paper-based application form.

If you do not know your local APHA inspector, contact APHA plant health by phone or email and theyll arrange for the inspector to contact you. There is an extra charge of 14.86 for paper-based applications.

You apply a different way to export plants from Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Exporting wood, wood products or iso

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