Animal Plant Health Agency
This guidance applies to businesses in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) exporting or moving food, drink and agricultural products to, or through:
- the EU
- non-EU countries
- Northern Ireland through the red lane (full customs requirements)
The Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme (NIRMS) allows traders to move eligible goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland under green lane customs arrangements. Find out more about NIRMS.
You need an export health certificate (EHC) or other certificate to export or move:
- food or drink that is a product of animal origin (POAO) or contains products of animal origin
- processed food and drink
- vegetables, fruit and other plants used as food
POAO means animal products for human consumption such as:
- meat
- fish
- eggs
- dairy
- honey
- gelatine
Some countries require another type of export certificate for certain products.
If your product was made in Great Britain, check with the food safety team in the local authority where your product was manufactured.
You can check each countrys rules by talking to your importer or getting help researching your export market.
Theres a ban on exporting caviar, caviar substitutes, truffles and goods containing truffles to Syria and North Korea.
Contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) for details.
Export or move processed food and drink
You need an EHC to export or move most processed food or drink products that contain POAO to:
You do not usually need an EHC if your processed food or drink product does not contain POAO.
Examples of processed foods containing POAO include:
- lasagne
- pork pies
You may also need a certificate of free sale to export processed food or drink to non-EU countries. The food authority in the country youre exporting to will tell you if you need one.
If you export soft drinks with added sugar, you may need to register for the Soft Drinks Industry Levy. If you pay the levy on the drinks you export, you may be able to claim a levy credit.
Export or move food or drink that contains POAO to the EU or Northern Ireland
You need an EHC for food or drink that contains POAO to:
- export it from Great Britain to the EU
- move it from Great Britain to Northern Ireland through the red lane
- transit through the EU
- transit through Northern Ireland
If youre moving food or drink that contains POAO to Northern Ireland, you do not need to pay for it to be inspected and certified when youre getting an EHC.The certifier invoices the government for these costs as part of the Movement Assistance Scheme.
Youll also need to:
- get your goods checked at an EU border control post (BCP) in the first country they enter or at a Northern Ireland point of entry
- make sure your EU or Northern Ireland-based import agent has notified the BCP or Northern Ireland point of entry that your consignment is arriving - check with the BCP or point of entry for how much notice needs to be given
- follow wider guidance on requirements for exporting
Read additional guidance if youre:
- moving goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland
- exporting composite food products to the EU or moving them to Northern Ireland through the red lane
Health visits from vets
From 13 December 2023, farmers will need to provide evidence that animals used to make food, drink and agricultural products that may be exported to theEUhad annual health visits by a vet.
The food chain information (FCI) documents for the animals will need to include either a:
- qualifyingfarm assurance schememembership number
- vet attestation number (VAN) from anannual health and welfare review(known as a pathway visit) orvet attestation visit
Maximum residue levels
Food you export to the EU or move to Northern Ireland through the red lane must meet EU rules on maximum residue levels (MRLs). This includes food containing POAO. Check the rules for:
The EU will reject consignments containing food that do not comply with EU MRLs.
Commercial samples containing POAO
Commercial samples of goods that contain POAO need an EHC to be exported to the EU or moved to Northern Ireland through the red lane.
Before you export samples to the EU, contact the veterinary BCP where the samples will enter the EU to check their import requirements.