Guidance

Import of untreated and treated blood products excluding those of equidae for uses outside the feed chain - Import Information Note (IIN) ABP/4C

Updated 3 July 2025

1. General information 

This Import Information Note (IIN) must be read in conjunction with the IIN for general information for imports of animal by-products (ABPs), which provides information on pre-notifications, veterinary checks, risk categories and more. 

References to European Union (EU) legislation within this document are references to direct EU legislation which has been assimilated in Great Britain (assimilated direct legislation), as defined in the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023 and can be viewed on the UK legislation website. 

2. Scope 

Import conditions for untreated and treated blood products, excluding equidae blood products, for the manufacture of derived products for uses outside the feed chain for farmed animals. 

Blood products are defined in Regulation (EU) 142/2011 as meaning derived products from blood or fractions of blood, excluding blood meal; they include:

• dried, frozen or liquid plasma
• dried whole blood
• dried, frozen or liquid red cells or fractions thereof
• mixtures

Blood products, excluding equidae blood products, for the manufacture of derived products for uses outside the feed chain for farmed animals must only be derived from Category 1 materials referred to in Article 8(c) and (d) and Category 3 materials referred to in Article 10(a), (b), (d), (e) and (h) of Regulation (EC) 1069/2009. 

Untreated and treated blood products for the manufacture of derived products for uses outside the feed chain for farmed animals must not be derived from blood from equidae species (See IIN ABP 4A for blood products from equidae).  

3. Production standards 

The blood products must have been produced and stored in accordance with the requirements of Annex XIV, Chapter II, Section 2 of Regulation (EU) 142/2011. 

4. Country of origin 

Imports are permitted from trading partners listed in the documents published by the Secretary of State, with the consent of the Scottish and Welsh ministers, for:

• non-EU countries
• EU and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries

Untreated blood products from ungulates 

Untreated blood products from ungulates must come from either:

• countries or parts of countries listed in the document for ‘fresh meat of ungulates’ (published in accordance with EUR 206/2010), from which imports of fresh meat of any domestic ungulate species is authorised
• Japan

Untreated blood products from poultry and other avian species

Untreated blood products from poultry and other avian species must come from either:

• countries listed in the document for ‘poultry and poultry products’ (published in accordance with EUR 798/2008)
• Japan

Untreated blood products from other animals

Untreated blood products from other animals must come from (any of the following):

• countries listed in the document for ‘fresh meat of ungulates’ (published in accordance with EUR 206/2010)
• countries listed in the document for ‘poultry and poultry products’ (published in accordance with EUR 798/2008)
• countries listed in the document for ‘meat of wild leporidae, certain wild land mammals and of farmed rabbits’ (published in accordance with EUR 119/2009)
• Japan

Treated blood products from any species

Treated blood products from any species must come from (any of the following):

• countries listed in the document for ‘fresh meat of ungulates’ (published in accordance with EUR 206/2010)
• countries listed in the document for ‘poultry and poultry products’ (published in accordance with EUR 798/2008)
• countries listed in the document for ‘meat of wild leporidae, of certain wild land mammals and of farmed rabbits’ (published in accordance with EUR 119/2009)
• Japan

5. Approved establishments 

Products must be produced in an establishment approved to export to GB. Importers should check prior to importation that the premises are listed on the correct list.  

Find consolidated lists of approved plants (excluding the EU)

Find approved EU ABP establishments 

If the establishment or plant is not listed, importers are urged to contact the company concerned, who should contact their competent authority immediately. If the plant is not included on the appropriate list when veterinary checks are carried out the consignment is likely to be held and could be rejected and re-exported or destroyed.  

6. Health certification or documentation 

Imports to Great Britain (GB) must be accompanied by the appropriate health certificate based on the GB model health certificate.

Model health certificates for blood products

This requirement applies to products in the high and medium risk categories. Find information about import risk categories, inspection rates and related rules for animals and animal products imported from:

• the EU to GB
• non-EU countries to GB 

7. Labelling requirements 

The outer packaging or containers must bear labels indicating: 

‘NOT FOR HUMAN OR ANIMAL CONSUMPTION’. 

8. Monitoring of the products to an approved premises 

In the case of the animal by-products listed below, following the veterinary checks provided for in the Official Controls Regulation, and in accordance with the conditions laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/1666, the animal by-products must be transported directly from the BCP to the registered or approved establishment or plant of destination. The recipient must tell APHA within one day of the goods arriving at the destination. This process is known as ‘channelling’.

To report the arrival of goods at establishments or plants in England or Wales, contact importsriskmanagement@apha.gov.uk. For arrivals in Scotland, contact aphascotlandimports@apha.gov.uk.

Untreated blood and blood products require channelling if all the following are true:

• they are for the manufacture of derived products for uses other than feeding farmed animals  
• they have been derived from animals belonging to the taxa Artiodactyla, Perissodactyla (excluding Equidae) and Proboscidea, including their crossbreeds 
• they come from a country or region where vaccination programmes against foot and mouth disease are being officially carried out and controlled in domestic ruminant animals for at least 12 months

Untreated blood products from animals other than Suidae and Tayassuidae and Equidae require channelling if they come from countries or regions where:

• there have been recorded cases of vesicular stomatitis and bluetongue in the previous 12 months
• vaccination programmes against vesicular stomatitis and bluetongue are being officially carried out against those diseases for a period of at least 12 months in the susceptible animals

Untreated blood products from Suidae and Tayassuidae animals require channelling if they come from countries or regions where:

• no case of swine vesicular disease, classical swine fever and African swine fever has been recorded in the previous 12 months and vaccination has not been carried out against those diseases for those 12 months
• cases of vesicular stomatitis (including the presence of seropositive animals) have been recorded in the previous 12 months and vaccination has been carried out against this disease within those 12 months in the susceptible species 

9. Contact for further information  

For more information about import requirements, contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) imports team:

Centre for International Trade - Carlisle
Eden Bridge House
Lowther Street
Carlisle
CA3 8DX

Email: imports@apha.gov.uk 

Telephone: 03000 200 301