Import eggs to Great Britain
How to import and move eggs for human consumption to Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) from EU and non-EU countries.
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
Bird flu
Find the latest situation for:
- bird flu cases in England
- bird flu cases in Scotland
- bird flu cases in Wales
- bird flu cases in Northern Ireland
Read guidance about bird flu in the UK.
This guidance applies to goods imported for commercial purposes by post or courier. Contact your post or courier service to find out if they offer an import service for commercial imports and for more information about the process.
Importing and moving eggs from the EU and Northern Ireland to Great Britain
You can import or move eggs to Great Britain from approved EU countries and Northern Ireland.
The eggs must meet egg marketing standards. You should tell your local Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) egg marketing inspector before you import a consignment of eggs. To find your local inspector contact: CSCOneHealthEggMarketing@apha.gov.uk.
You must submit an import notification on the import of products, animals, food and feed system (IPAFFS) to notify authorities in Great Britain about your import of eggs from the EU. You must do this at least one working day before your import is expected to arrive at the point of entry, which must have a border control post (BCP) for that type of product.
You must also follow guidance on importing food from the EU to Great Britain.
Importing eggs from the EU during a bird flu outbreak
You can only import eggs into Great Britain from bird flu disease control zones in the EU if the establishment where the eggs are produced and exported from is free from Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).
Marking eggs from EU countries
If you’re importing eggs from the EU to Great Britain, you must make sure that exporters correctly mark the eggs being imported.
Exporters in the EU must mark Class A eggs with the producer code.
Exporters in the EU must mark Class B eggs with either:
- the producer code and the Class B indication
- the Class B indication
Class B indications must be either:
- a circle of at least 12mm in diameter around the letter ‘B’ and at least 5mm high
- an easily visible colour spot of at least 5mm in diameter
Eggs imported from EU countries must also be marked clearly and legibly in the country of origin with its ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) 3166 country code.
Where the EU country’s reference in the producer code is identical to the country’s ISO code, there is no need to add a separate ISO code as well.
Completing a health certificate
Eggs imported from the EU are categorised as medium risk.
Exporters in the EU need to complete a health certificate for egg exports to Great Britain. They need to include either Class A or Class B in box I.18 of the health certificate.
Read the guidance on completing a health certificate to export animals and animal products to Great Britain.
Unless the goods are from Ireland, there are checks at the border on medium risk goods from the EU. This includes eggs for human consumption. All goods must enter through a point of entry that has a relevant BCP.
Checks at the border for non-qualifying Northern Ireland goods moving from Ireland to Great Britain will not be introduced before 31 October 2024.
Importing eggs from non-EU countries to Great Britain
You can only import eggs to Great Britain from an approved non-EU country. You must mark these eggs as ‘non-UK standard’.
Find out how to apply for approval to export to the UK.
Health certificates for non-EU countries
Eggs imported from non-EU countries are medium risk. All medium risk goods must enter through a point of entry that has a relevant BCP.
Exporters in non-EU countries need to complete a health certificate for egg exports to Great Britain. They need to include either Class A or Class B in box I.18 of the health certificate.
Get help
Contact imports@apha.gov.uk if you have any queries about importing eggs.
Updates to this page
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Updated to reflect changes to border and documentary checks that come into force on 30 April 2024.
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Updated guidance throughout, including updates to reflect current rules under the Border Target Operating Model. Added section on importing eggs from the EU from 30 April 2024.
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Added guidance for marketing eggs in Great Britain from non-EU countries.
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First published.