Products of animal origin (products intended for human consumption): risk categories for imports from the EU to GB
Updated 26 March 2025
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
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The tables on this page provide an overview of how products of animal origin (POAO) that are imported from the EU are risk categorised under the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM).
POAO are goods derived from animals and fit for human consumption. They include:
- composite products
- dairy products and milk
- egg and egg products
- fishery products and bivalve molluscs
- gelatine, collagen and highly refined products
- honey and apiculture products
- meat, meat preparations and meat products
To import these commodities, you must identify the BTOM risk category for your commodity. This will inform the:
- rules you must follow
- documents you might need to prepare
- likelihood of your goods being inspected
Find your POAO commodity in the tables below to see its corresponding risk category and inspection rate.
Shelf-stable POAO imported from the EU that meet the full list of criteria under table 1 are considered low risk under the BTOM. If your product does not meet all of the criteria listed under table 1, you need to find its commodity grouping in the other tables.
Inspection rates listed in the tables are for both identity (ID) checks and physical checks, unless otherwise specified. Imports are also subject to documentary checks. As standard, commodities categorised as high or medium risk are subject to 100% documentary checks. Low risk commodities are not subject to routine documentary checks.
Commodities may be moved into higher or lower BTOM risk categories to reflect changing levels of risk.
Read more about importing food and drink from the EU to Great Britain.
References to Category II in the tables below relate to Annex I of Retained EU Regulation 2019/2129.
Read separate risk categories guidance for imports from the EU of:
1. All shelf-stable POAO
| Commodity | BTOM risk category | Inspection rate | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| POAO that are shelf-stable at ambient temperature* | Low (if it meets all of the listed criteria). | No routine inspections, only intelligence-led inspections. | *Shelf-stable POAO products are low risk if they meet all of the criteria listed below this table. If your product doesn’t meet all of the criteria, find the commodity grouping for your product in the other tables. |
Products of animal origin (POAO): criteria
A POAO commodity is in the low BTOM risk category if it meets all of the following criteria:
- it is shelf-stable at ambient temperature (can be safely stored at room temperature in a sealed container)
- it has undergone a treatment step or other processing in its manufacture (for example, canning) to eliminate or reduce micro-organisms of concern to an acceptable level
- it is clearly identified as intended for human consumption
- it is securely packaged or sealed in visibly clean containers
- it is labelled in English and accompanied by a commercial document providing information on the nature of the commodity, the quantity and number of packages, the country of origin, the manufacturer and the ingredients
- it is not infant formula or follow-on formula, baby food, or food for special medical purposes
- it is not bivalve molluscs, echinoderms, tunicates, or marine gastropods
- it is not a fishery product (excluding fish oil) that is from a species associated with histamine (that is, species of the families Scombridae, Clupeidae, Engraulidae, Coryfenidae, Pomatomidae or Scombresosidae) – these products are medium risk
If your product does not meet all of these criteria, it may not be considered low risk under the BTOM. You need to find the commodity type for your product in the other tables to determine its risk category.
Products that meet this list of criteria still need to meet sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) import requirements.
2. Composite products
Composite products are products that contain both POAO and plant products. You can read more about what a composite product is and how to import a composite product from the EU to Great Britain.
Unless the composite product is exempt from official import controls, all EU composite products are in the low BTOM risk category pending further risk assessments. These are underway and Defra will communicate to traders any changes to risk categorisations well in advance of their implementation.
| Commodity | BTOM risk category | Inspection rate | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Composite products | Low. | No routine inspections, only intelligence-led inspections. | Composite products currently exempt from official controls under Article 6 of Commission Decision 2007/275/EC will continue to be fully exempt and will not be categorised under the BTOM. |
3. Dairy products and milk
| Commodity | BTOM risk category | Inspection rate | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milk for human consumption | Medium | 1% (inspection rate medium M1). | See note 1 for an explanation of medium risk inspection rates. |
| Dairy products and colostrum-based products for human consumption, which are preserved at frozen or chilled temperatures (Category II) – which contain raw milk | Medium | 10% (inspection rate medium M2). | See note 1 for an explanation of medium risk inspection rates. |
| Non-raw dairy products and colostrum-based products for human consumption, which are preserved at frozen or chilled temperatures (Category II) | Low | No routine inspections, only intelligence-led inspections. | For the purposes of the BTOM, ‘non-raw’ dairy products are products containing milk that has been subject to pasteurisation or an equivalent or higher level of treatment (for example, UHT processing). Non-raw dairy products and colostrum-based products for human consumption, which are preserved at frozen or chilled temperatures have been placed in the low BTOM risk category pending further risk assessments. These are underway and Defra will communicate to traders any changes to risk categorisations well in advance of their implementation. |
| Dairy products and colostrum-based products for human consumption, other than those mentioned in (Category II) | Low | No routine inspections, only intelligence-led inspections. | None |
4. Eggs and egg products
| Commodity | BTOM risk category | Inspection rate | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eggs for human consumption | Medium | 15% (inspection rate medium M2). | See note 1 for an explanation of medium risk inspection rates. |
| Egg products for human consumption that are preserved at frozen or chilled temperatures (Category II) | Medium | 15% (inspection rate medium M2). | See note 1 for an explanation of medium risk inspection rates. |
| Egg products for human consumption, other than those mentioned in Category II | Low | No routine inspections, only intelligence-led inspections. | None |
5. Fishery products and bivalve molluscs
| Commodity | BTOM risk category | Inspection rate | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fish and fishery products (including crustaceans), other than those mentioned in Category II and other than wild caught fishery products (defined below the table) | Medium | 1% (inspection rate medium M1). | See the BTOM definition of fishery products below this table. See note 1 for an explanation of medium risk inspection rates. |
| Fishery products from aquaculture and bivalve molluscs for human consumption, which are not in hermetically sealed containers intended to render them stable at ambient temperature (Category II) | Medium | 15% for bivalve molluscs, echinoderms, tunicates, marine gastropods (inspection rate medium M2). 1% for all other products (inspection rate medium M1). |
See the BTOM definition of fishery products below this table. See note 1 for an explanation of medium risk inspection rates. |
| Wild caught fishery products | Low (if it meets the listed criteria). | No routine inspections, only intelligence-led inspections. | The criteria for wild caught fishery products are listed below this table. |
Fishery products: definition
‘Fishery products’ are defined in Annex I of retained EU Regulation 853/2004 and include:
- fin fish and their products (excluding live fish)
- aquatic animals (for example, crabs and lobsters) or their products, fit for human consumption and imported as POAO (including live or viable aquatic animals)
Bivalve molluscs, echinoderms, tunicates, marine gastropods (live or processed or their products) are treated separately for the purposes of the BTOM and are medium risk in all cases.
Wild caught fishery products: criteria
A wild caught fishery product will be in the low BTOM risk category if it meets all of the following criteria:
- it is not live or would be unable to survive if returned to the environment (‘not viable’)
- it comes from an approved establishment and is identified accordingly
- it has not been subject to processing, as defined in Article 2 of Retained EU Regulation 852/2004 – for example, by heating, curing, smoking, maturing, drying, marinating, extraction, extrusion or a combination of these
- it is accompanied by the required illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) documents, for example, a valid catch certificate and proof of storage and processing, where applicable
- it is not fish that is associated with histamine (that is, species of the families Scombridae, Clupeidae, Engraulidae, Coryfenidae, Pomatomidae or Scombresosidae)
If it does not meet all these criteria, the fish will be in one of the other ‘fishery products’ commodity types and categorised as medium risk.
Fishery products that have undergone an operation affecting their anatomical wholeness (for example, gutting, heading, slicing, filleting or chopping) and otherwise meet the definition of an ‘unprocessed product’ outlined in Article 2 of Retained EU Regulation 852/2004 (including if they have been chilled or frozen), may still be classed as wild caught if the other criteria listed above apply.
6. Gelatine, collagen and highly refined products
| Commodity | BTOM risk category | Inspection rate | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gelatine and collagen for human consumption | Low | No routine inspections, only intelligence-led inspections. | None |
| Highly refined products for human consumption | Low | No routine inspections, only intelligence-led inspections. | ‘Highly refined products’ are those detailed in Annex III, Section XVI of Assimilated Regulation No. 853/2004. |
7. Honey and apiculture products
| Commodity | BTOM risk category | Inspection rate | BTOM risk category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apiculture products for human consumption | Medium | 1% (inspection rate medium M1). | See note 1 for an explanation of medium risk inspection rates. |
| Honey | Low | No routine inspections, only intelligence-led inspections. | None |
8. Meat and meat products including minced meat, meat preparations and mechanically separated meat
| Commodity | BTOM risk category | Inspection rate | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bovine meat and meat products for human consumption | Medium | 1% (inspection rate medium M1). | See note 1 for an explanation of medium risk inspection rates. |
| Ovine, caprine and camelid meat and meat products for human consumption | Medium | 1% (inspection rate medium M1). | See note 1 for an explanation of medium risk inspection rates. |
| Soliped meat and meat products for human consumption | Medium | 1% (inspection rate medium M1). | See note 1 for an explanation of medium risk inspection rates. |
| Porcine meat and meat products for human consumption | Medium | 1% (inspection rate medium M1). | See note 1 for an explanation of medium risk inspection rates. |
| Poultry meat and meat products for human consumption | Medium | 1% (inspection rate medium M1). | See note 1 for an explanation of medium risk inspection rates. |
| Rabbit meat, game meat, and their meat products for human consumption | Medium | 1% (inspection rate medium M1). | See note 1 for an explanation of medium risk inspection rates. |
| Rendered animal fat and greaves for human consumption | Low | No routine inspections, only intelligence-led inspections. | None |
9. Other POAO
| Commodity | BTOM risk category | Inspection rate | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infant formula, follow-on formula, food for special medical purposes (FSMP) and baby food | Medium, regardless of product type. | 10% (inspection rate medium M2). | Medium risk due to the vulnerability of the intended consumers. Composite products currently exempt from official controls under Article 6 of Commission Decision 2007/275/EC will continue to be fully exempt. See note 1 for an explanation of medium risk inspection rates. |
Note 1
Medium risk commodities are subject to inspection rates between 1% and 30%.
The inspection rate depends on the commodity being imported and country it’s being imported from. There are 3 levels within medium risk that determine the inspection rate – M1, M2 and M3:
- M1: consequence of non-compliance with import conditions is likely to be manageable or acceptable (baseline inspection rate 1%)
- M2: consequences of non-compliance with import conditions could pose a significant risk to public or animal health (baseline inspection rate between 10% and 15%)
- M3: consequence of non-compliance with import conditions is likely to pose a significant risk to biosecurity or public health (baseline inspection rate 30%)
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