Import high risk food and feed of non-animal origin from the EU to Great Britain
How to import or move high risk food and feed of non-animal origin from the EU to Great Britain.
High risk food and feed of non-animal origin (HRFNAO) is not included in the categorisation of products as high, medium or low risk under the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM).
Read more about importing HRFNAO under the Border Target Operating Model.
This guidance applies to businesses in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) importing or moving HRFNAO from the EU. Imports from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland should follow this guidance.
It also applies to goods imported for commercial purposes by post or courier. Contact your post or courier service to find out if they offer an import service for commercial imports and for more information about the process.
HRFNAO includes:
- food and feed of non-animal origin (FNAO) with known or emerging risks to public health
- unauthorised genetically modified rice in rice products originating from China
Unless the goods are from Ireland:
- all HRFNAO must enter Great Britain through a point of entry that has the relevant border control post (BCP)
- there are checks at the border on all HRFNAO imported from the EU
Goods moving directly from the Republic of Ireland must enter England or Scotland through a point of entry with a relevant BCP, or through Heysham. Goods from Ireland can enter Wales through any named point of entry.
There are separate rules for qualifying Northern Ireland goods.
If HRFNAO has been imported to the EU and then processed, it is no longer considered high risk. You should follow specific import guidance for the commodity.
You need to follow different guidance if you’re importing:
- HRFNAO from non-EU countries
- animal by-products (ABP) from the EU
- food and drink that are products of animal origin (POAO) from the EU
- composite products from the EU
Check what documents you need
You need a laboratory report and a health certificate (also called an ‘official certificate’) if you import the following HRFNAO:
- rice products from China listed in Annex 1 of 2011/844
- products listed in Annex 2 of 2019/1793
- Chernobyl affected products listed in Annex 2 of 2020/1158
All HRFNAO imports must be accompanied by commercial documents.
Laboratory reports
Full laboratory analyses must be provided for HRFNAO products to screen for various contaminants. The screening process and what to screen for depends on your product.
Laboratory analyses must be dated no more than 6 months before the health certificate for your product. They must be accompanied by a declaration from the competent authority where the sample was tested.
Health certificates
These are also referred to as ‘official certificates’.
The EU exporter must:
- apply for the export health certificate (EHC) in their own country – competent authorities should use model health certificates to create versions that exporters can apply for
- give you an electronic copy to upload to the import of products, animals, food and feed system (IPAFFS)
Health certificates specify on them how long they are valid for. Most health certificates are valid for 4 months from the date of issue but no longer than 6 months from the date of the results of the last laboratory analysis.
The original certificate (not a copy) must travel with the consignment.
Commercial documents
You must upload any accompanying documents to your IPAFFS notification. These could be:
- an invoice
- the packing list
- the bill of lading or airway bill
The document must travel with the consignment.
Notify authorities in Great Britain
You must submit an import notification on IPAFFS to notify authorities in Great Britain about all imports of HRFNAO from the EU. This is also known as a common health entry document (CHED).
You must do this at least one working day before the HRFNAO is expected to arrive at the point of entry.
You’ll get a notification reference number when you submit your import notification. The format of this number will be CHEDD.GB.YYYY.XXXXXXX.
Add information about the business you’re importing from
You need to add information to IPAFFS about the business you’re importing from, if the consignment is coming from:
- the EU
- Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, San Marino, the Faroe Islands or Greenland
Follow these steps to add the business:
- Sign in or register to use IPAFFS.
- On the ‘Traders addresses’ page, select ‘Add a place of origin’, then select ‘Create a new place of origin’.
- In the ‘Place of origin name’ field, enter the full name of the exporting business.
- In the ‘Place of origin’ fields, enter the full address, telephone number, country and email address for the business.
- Save these details. Details will be saved to your address book so that you can use them again.
- Add the approved business to your notification.
If you need help with import notifications
If you need technical help with IPAFFS, call the Animal and Plant Health Authority (APHA) helpline on 03300 416 999 or email APHAServiceDesk@apha.gov.uk.
If you need help completing import notifications, email the Food Standards Agency (FSA) at imported.food@food.gov.uk.
Moving HRFNAO from Northern Ireland to Great Britain
You can move HRFNAO from Northern Ireland to Great Britain if they’re qualifying Northern Ireland goods.
Find out if your consignment needs sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks
If you’re importing HRFNAO from the EU to Great Britain, you must present the consignment at the relevant BCP if it is called for SPS checks.
If you’re importing the goods through an airport, the authorities will carry out any necessary checks before they release the consignment for collection by your transporter.
If you’re importing the goods through a port, the way to find out if your consignment needs SPS checks will depend on whether your transporter is using the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS) to clear customs.
If your transporter is using GVMS, they should use the check if you need to report for an inspection service to find out what they need to do.
If your transporter is not using GVMS, IPAFFS will provide an initial risk assessment telling you if your consignment needs SPS checks when you submit your import notification. If your consignment does need checks, you’ll also receive a text and email message 2 hours before your transporter’s estimated time of arrival in Great Britain. The message will confirm what you need to do.
If IPAFFS tells you your consignment has not been selected for SPS checks, you should still check for messages until your consignment has cleared the port, because the authorities may still call you for checks based on their final risk assessment.
Find out what happens at BCPs.
If you need help
Contact the FSA if you’re not sure about anything in this guide, email imported.food@food.gov.uk.
If you need help with your customs declaration
Contact HMRC for help.
Last updated 30 April 2024 + show all updates
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This page has been updated with information about checks on HRFNAO from the EU, in line with the Border Target Operating Model.
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The guidance has been updated to include current information about common health entry documents, health certificates, laboratory reports and commercial documents.
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Corrections have been made to reflect the current process and new information about HRFNAO import under the Border Target Operation Model has been added.
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Information about import licenses has been removed. You do not need an import license to import high-risk food and feed not of animal origin.
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First published.