Guidance

Transiting animals and animal products through Great Britain

Rules to follow if you’re moving animals or animal products from one country to another and transiting through Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales), known as ‘landbridge’ movements.

From:
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Published
18 December 2020
Last updated
30 April 2024 — See all updates

This guidance is about live animals, germinal products, products of animal origin for human consumption (POAO) and animal by-products not for human consumption (ABP).  

You need to follow different guidance if: 

Transits from the EU through Great Britain to EU or non-EU countries 

This guidance covers the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements for EU goods moving from the EU through Great Britain to the EU or to non-EU countries. This guidance also applies to transits from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

Goods from the EU are categorised into high, medium and low risk categories under the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM).  

Qualifying Northern Ireland goods do not have to follow this process. 

There are documentary, identity and physical checks at the border on transits of high and medium risk germinal products, POAO and ABP from the EU, except from the island of Ireland.  

Consignments of high and medium risk germinal products, POAO and ABP that are transiting from the EU to Ireland may have documentary, identity and physical checks at the border.   

Unless they are arriving from Ireland, all goods must enter at a point of entry with the relevant border control post (BCP).  

All goods arriving in England and Scotland from Ireland must enter and exit at a point of entry with the relevant BCP. All goods arriving in Wales from Ireland can enter at any point of entry but must exit at a point of entry with the relevant BCP.

Live animals from the EU can enter and exit Great Britain through any port without physical or identity checks. 

Read more about transiting live animals, germinal products, POAO and ABP under the BTOM. 

Check what documents you need 

Transits of medium and high risk products must travel with a health certificate. 

If you’re transiting medium risk fishery products that do not need animal health attestations, you only need a commercial document.  

If you’re transiting medium risk ABP but there’s currently no health certificate for your goods, you only need a commercial document. 

For transits from the EU through Great Britain to non-EU countries, you must check you have the right documentation to export your commodity from the EU member state of origin to the destination country. 

You’ll also need to follow specific guidance below if you’re transiting: 

  • live animals 
  • ABP 

Live animals transiting Great Britain to the EU 

Live animals transiting from the EU through Great Britain to the EU must have an Intra Trade Animal Health Certificate (ITAHC) created in TRACES (Trade Control and Export System). 

You must attach a copy of the ITAHC to the notification on the Import of products, animals, food and feed system (IPAFFS). The IPAFFS notification does not replace your intra-EU movement on TRACES. 

You must follow animal welfare requirements for animals transiting through Great Britain. 

All live animals will need: 

  • transporter authorisation issued by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) 
  • vehicle approval certificates from the relevant bodies in Great Britain or Northern Ireland 

You will also need a certificate of competence for cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, horses or poultry travelling over 40 miles or 65 kilometres by road.    

You need an EU and a UK journey log if you’re moving cattle, sheep, pigs, goats or unregistered horses for trade: 

  • from Great Britain to the EU 
  • from the EU to Great Britain 
  • if your journey is more than 8 hours 

You cannot use EU-issued documents (which includes the Republic of Ireland) in Great Britain. 

To apply for a transporter authorisation from APHA, the transporter must be represented in Great Britain. For more information, contact: 

The maximum permitted journey time varies by species and life stage. A consignment of animals may need to be rested for 24 hours. There are approved control posts where animals can be unloaded. 

Live animals transiting Great Britain to non-EU countries 

Live animals transiting from the EU through Great Britain to non-EU countries must have a GB health certificate. You must attach a copy to the IPAFFS notification.  

You must follow animal welfare requirements for animals transiting Great Britain. 

All live animals will need: 

  • transporter authorisations issued by APHA 
  • certificates of competence 
  • vehicle approval certificates from the relevant bodies in Great Britain or Northern Ireland 

You need an EU and UK journey log if you’re moving cattle, sheep, pigs, goats or unregistered horses for trade: 

  • from Great Britain to the EU 
  • from the EU to Great Britain 
  • if your journey is more than 8 hours 

You cannot use EU-issued documents (including those issued in the Republic of Ireland) in Great Britain. 

To apply for a transporter authorisation from APHA, the transporter must be represented in Great Britain. For more information, contact: 

The maximum permitted journey time varies by species and life stage. A consignment of animals may need to be rested for 24 hours. There are approved control posts where animals can be unloaded. 

Animal by-products not for human consumption transiting Great Britain to the EU 

Transits of ABP from the EU through Great Britain to the EU must use transporters that are registered on the list of approved and registered ABP operating plants. 

ABP transits also need an ABP commercial document created in TRACES, which you must attach to your IPAFFS notification. 

Transits of ABP from the EU to Northern Ireland through Great Britain will need to be notified on IPAFFS. You must do this at least one working day before it is expected to arrive at the point of entry. 

Your IPAFFS notification does not replace your intra-EU movement on TRACES. 

Animal by-products not for human consumption transiting Great Britain to non-EU countries 

Transits of ABP from the EU through Great Britain to non-EU countries must use transporters that are registered on the list of approved and registered ABP operating plants.  

Transits of ABP also need an ABP commercial document. 

Notify authorities in Great Britain

Live animals, germinal products, ABP and POAO transiting through Great Britain must be notified on IPAFFS. You must do this at least one working day before it is expected to arrive at the point of entry. 

Checks at the border for goods transiting from the EU 

High risk animal products will have identity checks on entry and exit. 

Some medium risk goods will have identity checks on entry or exit. 

Low risk goods will not need health certificates. They may have identity checks on entry or exit, but these will not be routine.  

Sealed consignments may have checks that seals are intact, rather than full identity checks.

Goods from the island of Ireland will not have any identity or physical checks when they enter Great Britain to transit to the EU, even if they are not qualifying Northern Ireland goods. They may have checks when they exit Great Britain. 

Goods transiting Great Britain from the EU will not have any identity or physical checks when they exit Great Britain to transit to the island of Ireland. They may have checks when they enter Great Britain. 

Live animals from the EU do not currently have physical or identity checks.

Find out if your consignment needs SPS checks  

You must present your consignment at the relevant BCP if it is called for SPS checks.  

If you’re bringing the goods to Great Britain through an airport, the authorities will carry out any necessary checks before they release the consignment for collection by your transporter. 

If you’re bringing the goods to Great Britain through a port and moving them under the Common Transit Convention, 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 time you receive the message may vary if your transporter is using the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS) to clear customs. 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.

Tell authorities that goods have left Great Britain  

You must tell authorities in Great Britain when consignments have left Great Britain. To do this for transits of germinal products, ABP, and POAO, email the port health authority email address for your exit BCP. If your consignment exits at a port without a BCP, email the entry BCP. 

For live animals, email APHA at ImportsRiskManagement@apha.gov.uk.  

For emails confirming a consignment has left Great Britain, use the subject line ‘Confirmation that a consignment has left Great Britain territory’. The email needs to include: 

  • the IPAFFS notification reference number 
  • details of the means of transport 
  • the date the consignment left Great Britain 
  • a copy of the commercial documents (bill of lading or airway bill) 

Transits from non-EU countries through Great Britain to EU or non-EU countries  

This guidance covers the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements for non-EU goods moving to Great Britain to: 

  • the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland
  • a non-EU country 

Transits from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland should follow the process for transits from the EU.

Goods from non-EU countries are categorised into high, medium and low risk under the BTOM.  

Live animals, germinal products, POAO and ABP from a non-EU country transiting through Great Britain must: 

The goods must enter and exit Great Britain at a point of entry with the relevant BCP for documentary and identity checks. Physical checks are only carried out in cases of suspected non-compliance.  

Read more about transiting live animals, germinal products, POAO and ABP under the BTOM. 

You’ll also need to follow specific guidance below if you’re transiting: 

  • live animals 
  • ABP 

Live animals 

You must follow animal welfare requirements for animals transiting Great Britain. 

Animal by-products not for human consumption 

Transits of ABP must also have a GB import health certificate or importer declaration indicating that the consignment is intended for transit.

The ship supplies process for goods arriving from the EU

If your ship supplies are from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland and they enter Great Britain through a different point of entry from the one where the ship they are supplying is docked, you must follow this guidance from 30 April 2024.

Ship supplies are categorised as medium or low risk under the BTOM. You need:

  • GB transit health certificates for medium risk products
  • commercial documents for low risk products

Unless they are from Ireland, all consignments must enter and exit at a point of entry with the relevant BCP. Consignments from Ireland must enter through a named point of entry.

All medium risk consignments will have remote documentary checks by the port health authority (PHA) or local authority. Some will have identity checks.

Low risk consignments will not have routine documentary or identity checks, but checks may still happen where intelligence shows a specific risk.

The person responsible for the load must:

  1. Complete the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland ship supplies declaration and give it to the captain of the ship, or a representative of the master of the ship, to sign when the goods are loaded on board.
  2. Return the signed declaration to the entry BCP by email or post within 15 days of the consignment arriving in Great Britain.

This declaration removes the need for checks at the exit BCP.

The ship supplies process for goods arriving from non-EU countries 

Follow this process if your ship supplies are not from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland and they enter Great Britain through a different point of entry from the one where the ship they are supplying is docked.

Your consignment must: 

  • have a GB transit health certificate  
  • enter Great Britain at a point of entry with the relevant BCP 

Documentary and identity checks will be completed at the entry BCP and the port health authority will issue a specific ship supplies or captain’s certificate.  

The consignment is then transported to the port of exit where the ship is docked. 

The person responsible for the load must: 

  1. Make sure the captain of the ship, or a representative of the master of the ship, signs the ship supply certificate when the goods are loaded on board. 
  2. Return the ship supply certificate to the entry BCP by email or post within 15 days of the consignment arriving in Great Britain. This confirms that the goods have been loaded intact and will be leaving Great Britain. 

This certificate removes the need for checks at the exit BCP.

Transiting live animals from the EU through Great Britain from late 2024 

From late 2024, new documentary, identity and physical checks at the border on transits of live animals from the EU will be introduced.   

Unless they are from Ireland, all live animals must enter and exit at a point of entry with the relevant BCP. Live animals from Ireland must enter through a named point of entry.

You must confirm that the consignment has left Great Britain by emailing the APHA at ImportsRiskManagement@apha.gov.uk. Use the subject line ‘Confirmation that a consignment has left Great Britain territory’. 

The email needs to include: 

  • the IPAFFS notification reference number 
  • details of the means of transport 
  • the date the consignment left Great Britain 
  • a copy of the commercial documents (bill of lading or airway bill)

If you need help with import notifications

Call the APHA helpline on 03300 416 999, or email APHAServiceDesk@apha.gov.uk.

If you need help with your customs processes

Contact HMRC for help.

Published 18 December 2020
Last updated 30 April 2024 + show all updates

  1. The guidance has been updated to include the latest information about the border target operating model risk categories and border control post checks.

  2. A link to the ship supplies declaration form has been added to the 'ship supplies process for goods from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland from 30 April 2024' section.

  3. The ship supplies process for goods arriving from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway from 30 April 2024 has been added.

  4. The guidance has been updated to include current information about the border target operating model risk categories and health certificates.

  5. This page has been updated to reflect current requirements and to add new sections for future changes under the Border Target Operating Model. The 'goods that transit the EU' section has been moved to another guide, and a link to it added to this one.

  6. Removed references to changes to import controls previously due to come into effect on 1 July 2022, as these have been postponed. The page will be updated in autumn 2022 with new dates for import controls.

  7. Import controls on EU goods to Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) planned from July will not be introduced in 2022. The controls that have already been introduced remain in place. This page will be updated in autumn 2022.

  8. Updated the section 'If you need help with your customs declaration'.

  9. Guidance updated to show change in rules from 1 January 2022 for imports from the Republic of Ireland to Great Britain.

  10. Added a 'If you need help with your customs declaration' section to the bottom of the page.

  11. Updated the guidance with new dates for the introduction of controls on transit goods.

  12. Removed references to unique notification numbers (UNN) for health certificates as they do not apply to imports from non-EU countries transiting the EU to Great Britain.

  13. Updated to reflect the new timetable for the introduction of the next stage of UK import requirements for transit goods.

  14. Added the email address for receiving countries to notify APHA when a consignment has left GB.

  15. First published.

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