Guidance

General information for imports of products of animal origin (POAO) for human consumption - Import Information Note (IIN) GEN/2

Published 2 December 2024

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/general-information-for-imports-of-products-of-animal-origin-poao-for-human-consumption-iin-gen2/general-information-for-imports-of-products-of-animal-origin-poao-for-human-consumption-import-information-note-iin-gen2

1. Important information

Import Information Notes (IINs) are technical documents containing import requirements and are for use by importers and border officials.

Please be aware that import conditions may be updated due to changes in policy or legislation. Please ensure that you check the current version of the IIN as well as the IIN specific to your commodity.

Importers should note that the information given relates only to animal health and public health conditions of import. It does not give guidance on other conditions that may need to be met. 

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.

Please note that any links to legislation provided in this document are for information purposes only and may not be the most recent version.

References to imports into Great Britain (GB) in any IIN also include imports into the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

References to trading partners include non-EU, EU and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries.

The Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) is the new approach to importing into GB that will be progressively introduced from the end of January 2024. 

2. Commodity import conditions 

For commodity specific import requirements, such as production standards, permitted countries of origin, approved establishments, health certification or documentation and labelling requirements, refer to the relevant IIN for imports of animal products for human consumption. 

3. Pre-notifications of imports

You must notify the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) of imports of products of animal origin to GB. Please use the import of products, animals, food and feed system (IPAFFS).

You must submit your notification in IPAFFS at least one working day before your consignment is due to arrive. You can submit your notification up to 30 days in advance. 

4. Veterinary checks 

Consignments may only be imported through an approved Border Control Post (BCP) specific for the commodity being imported. 

The person responsible for the consignment must give notice of the proposed entry of the consignment at least one working day before arrival (with a derogation to 4 hours before arrival if there are logistical constraints).

The notification shall be made to the inspection staff at the BCP using IPAFFS.

Any other electronic means agreed with the BCP to inform about the intended arrival of a consignment in advance are not to be considered as an official prenotification.  

Following satisfactory checks at the BCP (for which a charge is levied), consignments may then circulate freely within Great Britain.  If the consignment does not meet the import requirements, the consignment may be rejected and either re-exported or destroyed.

Further guidance on veterinary checks on animal products

Border Control Posts

The Trade in Animals and Related Products Regulations 2011 (TARP 2011) (applicable in England)

The Import of, and Trade in, Animals and Animal Products (Miscellaneous Amendments) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020

5. Transits 

Guidance on transiting animals and animal products through GB

6. BTOM risk categories for animal products 

To import animal products from the EU and EFTA states into GB, you’ll need to:

  • find the Target Operating Model (TOM) risk category for the commodity you’re importing
  • follow the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) rules for that import risk category

The BTOM categorises live animals, germinal products, products of animal origin (POAO) and animal by-products (ABPs) as high risk, medium risk or low risk. Each category has different requirements. 

 Find import risk categories for animals and animal products imported from:

7. Production standards 

In order to be able to meet these requirements, POAO must have been produced in accordance with the conditions laid down in:

  • Directive (EC) 2002/99 laying down the animal health rules governing the production, processing, distribution and introduction of products of animal origin for human consumption

  • Regulation (EC) 178/2002 laying down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of food safety

  • Regulation (EC) 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs

  • Regulation (EC) 853/2004 laying down specific rules for food of animal origin

  • Regulation (EU) 2017/625 laying down specific rules for the organisation of official controls on products of animal origin intended for human consumption; and on official controls performed to ensure the verification of compliance with feed and food law, animal health and animal welfare rules

Food Standards Agency guidance on food hygiene legislation

8. EFTA countries and Greenland 

The UK government recognises that Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein implement EU veterinary legislation in relation to the movement of animals and animal products. Therefore, animals and animal products from Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein must comply with the same requirements and controls applying to live animals and animal products from EU Member States. This also applies to Iceland for products of animal origin for human consumption, composite products and aquaculture.

Furthermore, in relation to imports from Faroe Islands this also applies to fishery products and aquaculture only. In relation to imports from Greenland this applies to fishery products and fish by-products only. 

9. Northern Ireland  

Movements from Northern Ireland (NI)

Unfettered market access applies to qualifying NI goods moving from NI into GB. 

Guidance on moving goods from NI to GB

No animal health conditions are applicable in respect of those movements.

Movements to Northern Ireland 

The Windsor Framework establishes the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme to move pre-packaged retail goods from Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) into Northern Ireland including Products of Animal Origin (POAOs). 

10. Specified risk material (SRM) 

Some POAOs derived from bovine, ovine or caprine animals must meet the relevant requirements of Regulation (EC) 999/2001, which lays down the rules for the prevention, control and eradication of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs). 

In addition, countries or regions are categorised according to their Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) risk in a document published by the Secretary of State, with the consent of the Scottish and Welsh Ministers, in accordance with Regulation (EC) 999/2001.

Check the health status of countries approved to export animals and animal products to GB  

11. Safeguard measures 

Emergency safeguard action can be taken at very short notice to prohibit or restrict the importation of certain products from certain countries following an outbreak of disease or a public health issue. 

Find information on the latest updates concerning disease outbreaks which may affect imports into the UK.

Further information on the International and UK monitoring of animal diseases may be found in the animal disease monitoring guidance. 

Importers can get the latest news about exotic notifiable disease outbreaks from the APHA exotic notifiable disease outbreak subscription service.

12. Products of Animal Origin (POAO) from China under safeguard measures

Notwithstanding the specific animal and public health conditions applicable to the products concerned, all POAO from China for human consumption (including composite products) or animal feed use are prohibited from being imported into Great Britain unless they are listed in the Annex to Decision (EC) 2002/994, and comply with the requirements of Article 3 in the case of products listed in Part II of the Annex. 

13. Special arrangements for New Zealand 

There are special arrangements in place for imports of some commodities from New Zealand which are provided for in the UK-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement.  Further information is in Annex V of Decision (EU) 2015/1084 which provides the certification requirements. Animals and animal products for which full equivalence have been agreed, must be accompanied by the model health certificate published on GOV.UK which complies with the model provided in Annex I of Decision (EU) 2015/1901. 

14. Legislation.gov.uk  

Consolidated legal texts, which integrate the basic instruments of assimilated EU legislation with their amendments and corrections in a single, non-official document, are available. Each consolidated text contains a list of all legal documents taken into account for its construction.  

You can search for consolidated texts by inputting the ‘document number’ and ‘year’ and then clicking the option ‘All UK Legislation (including originating from the EU)’ on legislation.gov.uk.  

Once you press ‘search’, you can find the relevant legislation listed with the full title of the legislation. Once you have selected the legislation, you may see the following message at the top of the page: 

“Changes to legislation: There are outstanding changes not yet made to XXX. Those changes will be listed when you open the content using the Table of Contents below. Any changes that have already been made to the legislation appear in the content and are referenced with annotations.”  

Please note that the consolidated text may not contain the latest amendment to the legislation, as it takes several weeks for this to be updated. EU Exit amendments to legislation may take several months too. We advise to read the legislation alongside the EU Exit amendments made in the below UK laws: 

Texts provided in this section are intended for information only. Please note that these texts have no legal value. For legal purposes please refer to the texts published in legislation.gov.uk.  

Further information on changes in relation to EU legislation and UK law can be found on legislation.gov.uk. Please continue to use legislation.gov.uk to find EU retained law applicable to Great Britain. Please avoid using the EU Commission website for information on imports into Great Britain. 

15. 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

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