Guidance

Export or move food, drink and agricultural products

What you need to do to export or move food, drink and agricultural products.

From:
Animal and Plant Health Agency, Rural Payments Agency, and Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Published
11 November 2016
Last updated
1 November 2023 — See all updates

This guidance applies to businesses in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) exporting or moving food, drink and agricultural products to, or through:

  • the EU
  • non-EU countries
  • Northern Ireland

You need an export health certificate (EHC) or other certificate to export or move:

POAO means animal products for human consumption such as:

  • meat
  • fish
  • eggs
  • dairy
  • honey
  • gelatine

Some countries require another type of export certificate for certain products.

If your product was made in Great Britain, check with the food safety team in the local authority where your product was manufactured.

You can check each country’s rules by talking to your importer or getting help researching your export market.

There’s a ban on exporting caviar, caviar substitutes, truffles and goods containing truffles to Syria and North Korea.

Contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) for details.

Export or move processed food and drinks

You need an EHC to export or move most processed food and drink products that contain POAO to:

You do not usually need an EHC if your processed food and drink product does not contain POAO.

Examples of processed foods containing POAO include products such as:

  • lasagne
  • pork pie

You may also need a certificate of free sale to export processed food and drink to non-EU countries. The food authority in the country you’re exporting to will tell you if you need one.

If you export any soft drinks with added sugar, you may need to register for the Soft Drinks Industry Levy. You can claim a credit for any exported drinks you pay the levy on.

Export or move food or drink that contains POAO to the EU or Northern Ireland

You’ll need an export health certificate (EHC) to:

  • export food or drink that contains POAO from Great Britain to the EU
  • move them from Great Britain to Northern Ireland
  • transit through the EU and Northern Ireland

If you’re moving food or drink that contains POAO to Northern Ireland, you do not need to pay for them to be inspected and certified. The certifier invoices the government for these costs as part of the Movement Assistance Scheme.

Read about labelling requirements under the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme.

There’s an arrangement for authorised traders moving food from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

You’ll also need to:

There are different rules for exporting or moving:

You should read additional rules if you:

  • export composite food products to the EU
  • want to check if your product counts as a composite food product

Make sure you follow general guidance for businesses exporting to the EU.

Health visits from vets

From 13 December 2023, farmers will need to provide evidence that animals used to make food, drink and agricultural products that may be exported to the EU had annual health visits by a vet.

The food chain information (FCI) documents for the animals will need to include either a:

Maximum residue levels

Food you export or move to the EU or Northern Ireland must meet EU rules on maximum residue levels (MRLs). This includes food containing POAO. Check the rules for:

The EU will reject consignments containing food that do not comply with EU MRLs.

Commercial samples containing POAO

Commercial samples of goods that contain POAO need an export health certificate to be exported or moved to the EU or Northern Ireland.

Before you export your samples, contact the veterinary BCP where the samples will enter the EU to check the export requirements.

EU listing for exporters and suppliers

You need to be listed as an approved business with the EU if you export food that contains POAO.

Use a logistics hub to export or move your products

You can use a logistics hub to export or move POAO.

Using a logistics hub can save you time by speeding up border processes. It does this by providing a central point for exports and expert staff in one location.

A logistics hub can:

  • consolidate your batch of products with others from different suppliers into a single consignment
  • collect your products and transport them to their destination in the EU or Northern Ireland
  • complete and process the EHCs for your products - including access to a certifying officer
  • provide a customs brokerage service

Not all logistics hubs offer the same services. Contact your logistics company or email: exports@apha.gov.uk to find out more about logistics hubs.

Your products need to be accompanied by the relevant supporting documents when they arrive at the logistics hub. For example, if you’re exporting meat, you may need to provide evidence from the cutting plant or slaughterhouse that shows the geographical origin of the animal.

The certifying officer will need to check these documents before they can certify the EHC.

Contact the logistics hub to find out what information you need to send with your products, and when you need to send it.

Prohibited and restricted goods

EU rules mean you cannot export the following goods to the EU:

  • chilled minced meat (red meat)
  • chilled meat preparations (for example, raw sausages)
  • minced poultry meat
  • mechanically separated meat from poultry, ratite and game birds
  • raw milk from TB herds
  • ungraded eggs
  • composite products containing dairy products made from unpasteurised milk (for example, a ready meal topped with unpasteurised cheese)

You cannot re-export certain animal and animal products including:

  • fresh meat originally from the EU or non-EU countries
  • milk not from the UK
  • products using products of animal origin from non-EU countries that are not listed by the EU for the purpose of imports into the EU

Movements from Great Britain to Northern Ireland

You can move the following prohibited and restricted meat products from Great Britain to Northern Ireland:

  • frozen or chilled minced meat of poultry, ratites and wild game birds
  • chilled minced meat from animals other than poultry
  • chilled meat preparations
  • any unprocessed meat produced from meat initially imported into Great Britain from the EU

You must make sure the meat products:

  • enter Northern Ireland through a designated point of entry as directed by the point of entry authority
  • are sold exclusively to end consumers in supermarkets located in Northern Ireland - they must not be sold to other operators in the food chain
  • are packed for end consumers and have a label reading “These products from the United Kingdom may not be sold outside Northern Ireland”
  • are accompanied by a prohibited and restricted export health certificate
  • meet EU standards (for example, the meat product must be from the UK or an approved non-EU third country)

You need:

Check the export health certificate (EHC) finder and apply for a certificate for your product.

You’ll need a certificate for each product type, rather than for each lorry.

Each certificate must be signed by an official veterinarian (OV).

You’ll be eligible for financial support toward the cost of P and R EHC certificates. Your OV can invoice the government for costs up to £150.00 (+ VAT) per EHC, as part of the Movement Assistance Scheme (MAS).

Checks at EU Border Control Posts (BCPs) or points of entry in Northern Ireland

You must get food and drink that contains POAO checked at an EU BCP or point of entry in NI.

These checks are made to protect:

  • animal health and welfare
  • public health

Your goods may be refused entry, seized, destroyed or returned to GB if they arrive at:

  • a port in the EU without a BCP where checks cannot be carried out
  • an EU BCP that cannot check your type of product
  • an EU BCP without the correct documentation

Find the correct BCP for your goods

You must find a BCP that accepts your type of goods as not all BCPs accept all goods.

You’ll need to consider how to redirect your trade route if needed.

There are more than 400 BCPs in the EU and they’re usually at EU ports and airports.

Check the full list of EU BCPs.

Give advance notice to EU BCPs or point(s) of entry in NI

You’ll need to give EU BCPs or points of entry in NI advance notice of goods arriving.

Check with the BCP or point of entry you’re planning to use for how much notice is needed.

Contact your import agent in the EU or NI to make sure they notify the BCP through TRACES of the arrival of the consignment.

They must do this within the time limits set out by the BCP or point of entry.

What happens if your goods fail inspection at an EU BCP

If your goods fail inspection because of risks to animal or public health, they will be destroyed immediately. If the goods fail for other reasons, the BCP will:

  • notify your importer or agent
  • ask them to decide whether your goods should be destroyed or returned to Great Britain

The BCP will not usually contact you directly.

Return food products containing POAO rejected at EU BCPs

Consignments of food products that contain POAO rejected at EU BCPs may, subject to a risk assessment, re-enter Great Britain through any point of entry.

You’ll need to provide certain documents to return your rejected goods.

Officials from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) will carry out the risk assessment and notify you if the returned consignment needs to enter through a Great Britain BCP or through any point of entry.

Documents you need to return your rejected food products containing POAO

Email APHA Centre for International Trade (CIT) at imports@apha.gov.uk to return a consignment. State that the message relates to the return of a consignment.

Attach these documents to the email:

  • a declaration from the EU BCP describing the reason for refusal of entry
  • full details of destination in Great Britain and the intended use or destruction of the returned consignment from the person responsible for the consignment
  • the original export certificate for the returned product

You’ll need to provide a commercial invoice or similar to verify that the returned consignment is the one that was exported, if the consignment did not:

  • require a veterinary certificate
  • have a certificate for export

If the consignment was not originally exported in a sealed container or where the seal is broken for official control purposes, you must have an official declaration from the EU BCP stating the:

  • place and date of unloading and reloading of the consignment
  • consignment did not undergo any handling other than unloading, storage and reloading
  • products were handled only to the extent necessary for the purposes of official controls at the appropriate temperature
  • unloading and reloading of the consignment was handled hygienically to avoid cross-contamination
  • consignment was stored under hygienic conditions at the required temperature and not at risk of cross contamination
  • effective measures were put in place to avoid the contamination of the POAO with disease agents which cause transmissible animal diseases during the unloading, storage and re-loading in the EU country
  • place of any unloading, storage and re-loading in the EU country was not subject to animal health movement restrictions due to transmissible animal diseases during the unloading, storage and re-loading

If the rejected product was originally exported in a sealed container and maintained an intact original seal, you must have a declaration by the person responsible for the consignment stating:

  • since the product was originally exported, the storage and transport conditions have been complied with
  • that the content of the consignment has not been altered

APHA will assess this information to decide the conditions of import and if the consignment can be returned through any point of entry or will have to enter through a BCP in Great Britain.

APHA will issue you with a written authorisation. The consignment cannot be returned until you have received this authorisation. You must comply with the conditions of the authorisation.

The imports@apha.gov.uk email address is monitored Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm (excluding public holidays).

Export or move vegetables, fruit and other plants used as food

You may need a phytosanitary certificate (PC) to export fruit, vegetables, plants and plant products used as food.

Arrangements for authorised traders moving food from Great Britain to Northern Ireland

An arrangement is in place which allows authorised traders such as supermarkets and their trusted suppliers to move some goods without the need for official certification.

If you’re an authorised trader moving products of animal origin from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, you do not need official certification, such as export health certificates, phytosanitary certificates or marketing standards certification. However, if you’re moving prohibited or restricted goods to Northern Ireland you need to apply for an export health certificate.

The following conditions will be attached to these arrangements:

  • the goods are packaged for end consumers and they bear a label reading “These products from the United Kingdom may not be marketed outside Northern Ireland”
  • they are destined solely for sale to end consumers in supermarkets located in Northern Ireland, and they cannot be sold to other operators of the food chain
  • they are accompanied by a simplified official certificate globally stating the products meet all the import requirements of EU legislation
  • they enter Northern Ireland through a designated point of entry, where they are submitted to a systematic documentary check and to a risk-based identity check on a selection of items in the means of transport they are monitored through a channelling procedure applicable from the designated point of entry to the destination supermarket in Northern Ireland

Authorised traders

Authorised traders are supermarkets and their trusted suppliers. The UK government will not discriminate against smaller suppliers or between different companies in recognising traders as authorised for the purpose of this arrangement.

A trusted supplier is any business that independently moves its products from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, for sale in Northern Ireland.

For example, a meat pie supplier that moves its own products from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, which delivers directly to a store for sale within Northern Ireland only would be eligible for authorised trader status. However, a meat pie supplier that delivers products to a supermarket distribution centre in Great Britain, which is then moved by the supermarket to Northern Ireland, the producer would not qualify. In this instance, the supermarket would be the authorised trader for that movement into Northern Ireland.

Export food and drink to non-EU countries

You usually need to complete an EHC and some supporting documents to export food that contains POAO to non-EU countries. You may also need a certificate of free sale if you’re exporting processed food or drink. The food authority in the country you’re exporting to will tell you if you need one.

Check the export health certificate (EHC) finder to see if a certificate exists for your animal or product.

If you find an EHC, follow the EHC process to export.

If you cannot find an EHC for your product, you’ll need to contact the competent authority in the country you’re exporting to, in advance, to find out what:

  • paperwork you’ll need to fill in
  • rules you need to comply with

If the competent authority says that you need an EHC, you’ll need to get their import conditions. Email the conditions to APHA at exports@apha.gov.uk who’ll arrange an EHC for you.

Apply for a certificate of free sale

To apply for a certificate of free sale you should:

  • save a copy of the application form to your computer
  • fill in all relevant parts, then email it to trader@rpa.gov.uk. Valid forms are processed within 5 working days of receiving them.

You should allow 10 working days from sending your application to receiving your certificate back. It’s free to apply and the certificates do not expire unless the country you’re exporting to specifies a time limit.

If you need help

Contact the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) Rural Payments Agency Telephone: 03300 416 500 Monday to Friday: 8:30am to 5pm

Find out about call charges.

We need your help to improve GOV.UK

If you need to export goods to the EU, or move goods into Northern Ireland, we’d like to hear about your experiences. If you’re happy for us to contact you, please fill in this short form. Your feedback will help us improve our services and guidance.

Published 11 November 2016
Last updated 1 November 2023 + show all updates

  1. Updated guidance on annual health visits from vets for exporting or moving food or drink that contains POAO to the EU or Northern Ireland.

  2. Updated the 'health visits from vets' section to advise you can use proof that a farm has had a health visit as part of the annual health and welfare review scheme.

  3. Added a link to the veterinary declaration for animal health visits.

  4. Clarified the health visits from vets section. From 13 December 2023, to export POAO to the EU a vet must have visited within 12 months of the date of slaughter.

  5. Added guidance on maximum residue levels when exporting or moving food to the EU or Northern Ireland.

  6. Added guidance on how to prove that animals used to make food, drink and agricultural products had regular health visits from a vet.

  7. Added guidance for exporting or moving commercial samples containing products of animal origin to the EU or Northern Ireland.

  8. Updated the email address for getting more information about logistics hubs.

  9. Removed guidance on import controls that are no longer being introduced in July 2022.

  10. Updated some of the dates for when the post EU-exit rules that apply to POAO if they fail inspection at a BCP.

  11. Removed the 1 October 2021 date from 'Export or move food or drink that contains POAO to the EU or Northern Ireland'. Authorised traders can continue to move some goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland without needing official certification.

  12. Updated section on movements of prohibited and restricted goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland to show extension to 30 September 2021.

  13. New content added that explains how exporters can use logistics hubs to export or move their goods to the EU and Northern Ireland.

  14. Updated dates in sections on returning food products containing POAO rejected at EU Border Control Posts (BCPs) and returns process.

  15. Updated prohibited and restricted goods section with details on certificates needed for moving meat products from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

  16. Updated section on authorised traders moving food from GB to NI.

  17. Updated link to list of businesses approved to export to the EU.

  18. Updated with guidance on how to comply with rules from 1 January 2021 and updated certificate of free sale.

  19. Removed Export Licence application and adding in Link to the page where the form is on the page called AGREX: Export licence application form for agricultural products

  20. Updated information to show change in export process from 1 Jan 2021.

  21. Minor updates to IL3 form.

  22. Updated fees section due to 2019 regulations

  23. Restructured the links to no-deal information into a call out box to increase visibility and made some minor stylistic changes.

  24. Updated these publications with EU Exit information: Application for Export Services at Concessionary Rates Export of potatoes to non-ec countries Inspection application form / Consignment note Phytosanitary Certification of Grain for Export

  25. Added information for exporters about how to get an export health certificate if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

  26. Grain information updated

  27. EHC list updated

  28. Export Health Certificate list updated

  29. EHC List updated

  30. Updated inspection fees due to fee changes from 6 April 2018.

  31. Added a link to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy guide and changed the title to include 'drink'. From January 2018, exporters of certain drinks with added sugar might have to pay a levy.

  32. First published.

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