Getting a zootechnical certificate
What breed societies and organisations need a zootechnical certificate for, and what information it must include.
A zootechnical certificate must accompany any animal or germinal product that’s traded and entered into another breeding book.
Zootechnical certificates are issued by officially recognised breed societies and organisations.
Certificates must contain specific information about the animals or germinal products, and must include the:
- name of the issuing body
- name of the breeding book
- name of the breed
- sex and details about ascendants
- results of any performance tests
The results of performance testing or genetic evaluation do not need to be entered on zootechnical certificates if the information is publicly available on a website. The website must be referenced on the zootechnical certificate.
Certificate titles
The title of all zootechnical certificates must:
- state if the animal is a purebred breeding animal or a hybrid breeding pig
- state if germinal products are from purebred breeding animals or hybrid breeding pigs
- include a reference to the taxonomic species
- include a reference to EU Regulation 2016/1012, for animals being exported into the EU
Certificate templates
If you represent a breed society, you need to use the multi-species zootechnical certificates template. This certificate can be portrait or landscape style.
Find the templates in Regulation (EU) 2017/717.
Exporting to the EU
If you export purebred breeding animals or germinal products to the EU, the animals must have a valid zootechnical certificate issued by either:
- a third country-listed UK breeding body
- an EU or third country breeding body who has an approved extended breeding programme in the UK
Without a valid certificate, animals cannot be entered into the main section of equivalent breeding books in the EU.
Importing into the UK
Breeding animals and germinal products imported to the UK must be accompanied by a valid zootechnical certificate to enable entry into the main section of your breeding book.
These can only be issued by a UK-approved listed third country.
Find further information on EU approved societies.
Find non-EU approved countries on the European Commission website . You must not discriminate on country of origin when entering animals into the main section of your breeding book.
Where eligible pedigree animals have a zootechnical certificate, they must be entered into the main section regardless of their country of origin.
Checks when you import breeding animals
If you import live purebred breeding animals from outside the EU and ask for a lower duty rate, your zootechnical certificate will be checked at the border inspection post.
This will be done at the same time as other animal health checks.
These checks do not apply to germinal products.
Moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland
You need a zootechnical certificate for all pedigree breeding animals moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
Cattle, pigs, goats and sheep
Use the template certificates for cattle, pigs, goats and sheep in EU regulation (2017)/717.
There are separate certificates for:
-
purebred breeding animals and their germinal products of the bovine, porcine, ovine and caprine species - see annex I
- hybrid breeding pigs and their germinal products - see annex II
- purebred breeding animals and their germinal products for entry into the Union
- hybrid breeding pigs and their germinal products for entry into the Union
Equines (horses, ponies, donkeys)
Use the template horse identification document in annex I of the Equine Passport regulation.
You must complete the Certificate of Origin (section V) to give the relevant pedigree information using parts I and II of the zootechnical certificate in Regulation (EU) 2017/1940.
There is a derogation that allows part II to be attached to the passport, and linked to part I, by entering the Unique Equine Life Number (UELN).
If your equine animal is being traded for entry into another studbook in the EU, they should also be accompanied by the certificate in annex III of EU Regulation 2017/717
For equines, zootechnical information is part of the horse passport.
If your horse passport was issued by a studbook passport issuing organisation (PIO) in the UK, it is only valid for travel if that PIO is third country listed by the EU.