Import risk categories for animal and animal product imports from the EU to Great Britain: summary tables
Updated 22 November 2023
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
© Crown copyright 2023
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/risk-categories-for-animal-and-animal-product-imports-to-great-britain/target-operating-model-tom-risk-categories-for-animal-and-animal-product-imports-from-the-eu-to-great-britain
These tables give a summary of how different types of animals and animal products will be categorised.
To look up the risk categories for specific commodity codes, use the separate BTOM risk categories for animal and animal product imports from the EU to Great Britain: searchable list with commodity codes.
Risk factors will be reviewed regularly. Commodities may be moved into higher or lower BTOM risk categories in future to reflect changing levels of risk.
1. Live animals, germinal products and live aquatics
Table 1. Live animal and germinal products
| Commodity | BTOM risk category | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Live animals, including live aquatic animals (see note 1) | High | Live aquatic animals include live fish and animals for ornamental, aquaculture and re-stocking purposes, and their germinal products. |
| Bees | High | None |
| Germinal products, including hatching eggs | High | None |
Note 1
Live aquatic animals imported for human consumption (for example, crabs, lobster or live bivalve molluscs) are categorised as a products of animal origin. The BTOM risk categories for these products are in table 2e. Live fish are categorised as live animals and the categorisations in table 1 apply.
2. Products of animal origin (POAO)
References to Category II in the tables below relate to Annex I of Retained EU Regulation 2019/2129.
Table 2a. All POAO
| Commodity | BTOM risk category | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| POAO that are shelf stable at ambient temperature | Low (if it meets the listed criteria) | The product is low risk if it meets all of the criteria listed below the table. |
Products of animal origin (POAO)
A POAO commodity will be in the low BTOM risk category if it meets all of the following criteria:
- it is shelf-stable at ambient temperature
- 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
Table 2b. Composite products
| Commodity | BTOM risk category | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Composite products | Low | Composite products currently exempted from official controls under Article 6 of Commission Decision 2007/275/EC will continue to be fully exempt and will not be placed in the low BTOM risk category. |
Composite products
Composite products have been placed in the low BTOM risk category from January 2024, pending further risk assessments. Any changes to these BTOM risk categories will not take place before April 2024. We will communicate with traders well in advance of any changes to commodity categorisation.
Table 2c. Dairy products and milk
| Commodity | BTOM risk category | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Milk for human consumption | Medium | None |
| Dairy products and colostrum-based products for human consumption, preserved at frozen or chilled temperatures (Category II) – which contain raw milk | Medium | None |
| Non-raw dairy products and colostrum-based products for human consumption, which are preserved at frozen or chilled temperatures (Category II) (see note 2) | Low | For the purposes of the BTOM, ‘non-raw’ dairy products are products containing milk which has been subject to pasteurisation or an equivalent or higher level of treatment (for example, UHT processing). |
| Dairy products and colostrum-based products for human consumption, other than those mentioned in Category II | Low | None |
Note 2
These commodities have been placed in the low BTOM risk category from January 2024, pending further risk assessments. Any changes to these BTOM risk categories will not take place before April 2024. We will communicate with traders well in advance of any changes to commodity categorisation.
Table 2d. Eggs and egg products
| Commodity | BTOM risk category |
|---|---|
| Eggs for human consumption | Medium |
| Egg products for human consumption which are preserved at frozen or chilled temperatures (Category II) | Medium |
| Egg products for human consumption, other than those mentioned in Category II | Low |
Table 2e. Fishery products and bivalve molluscs
| Commodity | BTOM risk category | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Fishery products, other than those mentioned in Category II, and other than wild caught fishery products (defined below the table) | Medium | See the BTOM definition of fishery products below this table. |
| 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 | See the BTOM definition of fishery products below this table. |
| Wild caught fishery products | Low (if it meets the listed criteria) | 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 products of animal origin (including live or viable aquatic animals)
Bivalve molluscs (live or processed) are treated separately for the purposes of the BTOM and will be 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 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 (for example, scombroids), which would be categorised as medium risk
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.
Table 2f. Gelatine, collagen and highly refined products
| Commodity | BTOM risk category |
|---|---|
| Gelatine and collagen | Low |
| Highly refined products for human consumption | Low |
Table 2g. Honey and apiculture products
| Commodity | BTOM risk category |
|---|---|
| Apiculture products for human consumption | Medium |
| Honey | Low |
Table 2h. Meat, meat preparations and meat products
| Commodity | BTOM risk category |
|---|---|
| Meat other than meat mentioned in Category II, and meat products derived from such meat, for human consumption | Medium |
| Minced meat, mechanically separated meat and meat preparations for human consumption (Category II) | Medium |
| Poultry meat and poultry meat products for human consumption | Medium |
| Rabbit meat, game meat, and their meat products for human consumption | Medium |
| Rendered animal fat and greaves for human consumption | Low |
Table 2i. Other POAO
| Commodity | BTOM risk category | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Infant formula, follow-on formula, food for special medical purposes (FSMP) and baby food | Medium, regardless of product type. | Medium risk due to the vulnerability of the intended consumers. Composite products currently exempted from official controls under Article 6 of Commission Decision 2007/275/EC will continue to be fully exempt. |
3. Animal by-products (ABP)
Table 3a. Animal protein
| Commodity | BTOM risk category | |
|---|---|---|
| Hydrolysed protein for use outside the feed chain | Low | |
| Hydrolysed protein for use in animal feed | Medium | |
| Processed animal protein (terrestrial) not for human consumption, for use in animal feed | Medium | |
| Processed animal protein (aquatic) not for human consumption, for use in animal feed | Medium | |
| Animal protein (insects) not for human consumption, for use outside the feed chain | Low | |
| Processed animal protein (insects) not for human consumption, for use in animal feed | Medium | |
| Processed animal protein not for human consumption, for use outside the feed chain | Medium |
Table 3b. Blood and blood products
| Commodity | BTOM risk category |
|---|---|
| Treated blood, blood products, for use in animal feed | Medium |
| Treated blood, blood products from equine, for use outside the feed chain | Low |
| Untreated blood, blood products from equine, for use outside the feed chain | Medium |
| Treated bloods excluding equine, for use outside the feed chain | Low |
| Untreated blood, blood products excluding equine, for use outside the feed chain | Medium |
Table 3c. Fats
| Commodity | BTOM risk category | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Fat derivatives for use outside the feed chain | Low | Channelling required (see note 3). |
| Fat derivatives for use in animal feed | Medium | None |
| Rendered fats not for human consumption, for use in animal feed | Medium | None |
| Rendered fats not for human consumption, for use outside the feed chain | Low | Channelling required (see note 3). |
Table 3d. Gelatine and collagen
| Commodity | BTOM risk category | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Gelatine or collagen not intended for human consumption, for use in animal feed | Medium | None |
| Gelatine or collagen not intended for human consumption, for use outside the feed chain | Low | Channelling required for photogelatine (gelatine for use in the photographic industry) (see note 3). |
Table 3e. Hides and skins
| Commodity | BTOM risk category |
|---|---|
| Treated hides and skins (excluding items that are not subject to any import restrictions) | Low |
| Untreated hides and skins | Medium |
Table 3f. Horns and trophies
| Commodity | BTOM risk category | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Horn product for organic fertilisers | Low | Channelling required (see note 3). |
| Treated game trophies (excluding items that are not subject to any import restrictions) | Low | Items not subject to any import restrictions are set out in Import Information Note ABP/6c. |
Table 3g. Milk products
| Commodity | BTOM risk category |
|---|---|
| Milk and milk-based products not for human consumption, for animal feed use | Medium |
| Milk and milk-based products not for human consumption, for use outside the feed chain | Low |
Table 3h. Pet food and products for the manufacture of pet food
| Commodity | BTOM risk category |
|---|---|
| ABP for the manufacture of pet food | Medium |
| Dog chews | Medium |
| Flavouring innards | Medium |
| Pet food – canned | Low |
| Pet food – processed (other than canned) | Low |
| Pet food – raw (including if frozen) | Medium |
Table 3i. Phosphate products
| Commodity | BTOM risk category |
|---|---|
| Organic dicalcium phosphate and tricalcium phosphate, for use in animal feed | Medium |
| Organic dicalcium phosphate and tricalcium phosphate, for use outside the feed chain | Low |
Table 3j. Wool, hair and feathers
| Commodity | BTOM risk category | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Pig bristle | Medium | None |
| Treated feathers | Low | Import conditions are set out in Import Information Note ABP/22b. |
| Dry untreated wool or hair | Low | Only low risk if both: (a) securely enclosed in packaging (b) sent directly to a plant producing derived products for uses outside the feed chain or a plant carrying out intermediate operations, under conditions which prevent the spreading of pathogenic agents. |
| Other permitted untreated wool or hair | Medium | None |
| Wool grease or fatty substances derived therefrom (including lanolin and lanolin alcohol), for use outside the feed chain | Low | Processed products derived from wool grease that no longer require further processing when they arrive in Great Britain (other than mixing, coating, assembling or packaging before placing on the market), and are intended for the manufacture of cosmetic products, are subject to specific categorisation. This will be confirmed when the commodity code spreadsheet for non-EU imports is published in due course. |
Table 3k. Other animal by-products (ABPs)
| Commodity | BTOM risk category | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| ABP outside the feed chain or trade samples | Medium | Animal by-products included in this category are set out in Import Information Note ABP/8a. |
| Apiculture products, for use in apiculture | Medium | None |
| Egg products for use in animal feed | Medium | None |
| Egg products for use outside the feed chain | Low | None |
| Feeder rodents or lagomorphs and feeder chicks | Medium | None |
| Fish oil for use in animal feed | Medium | None |
| Fish oil for use outside the feed chain | Low | None |
| Hay and straw | Medium | None |
| Highly processed intermediate products and ABPs for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, or laboratory reagent use | Low | The definition of a ‘highly processed’ product is being finalised. Defra will publish guidance on this definition in late 2023. |
| Manure – processed | Low | None |
Note 3
Channelling is where an ABP consignment must be moved directly from the point of entry to the approved point of destination. You must send confirmation of arrival to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).
Give feedback
We welcome your views on this guidance and the risk categories spreadsheet. Your feedback will help us to identify what we do well and what can be improved. Please use this form to give your feedback.