Import groupage or mixed load consignments of animal products into Great Britain from 2024
Guidance for EU exporters from 31 January 2024, exporters from rest of the world from 30 April 2024 and UK importers, on how to import groupage or mixed load consignments of animal products into Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales).
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
You must follow the new rules for importing animal products from the EU into Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) which began on 31 January 2024 and from the rest of the world from 30 April 2024. All imported goods must meet the requirements for their import risk category if coming from the EU or non-EU countries.
A consignment is a collection of products that are certified and despatched together under a single health certificate and moved into Great Britain on the same means of transport.
Groupage
The grouping of multiple consignments on the same means of transport is known as ‘groupage’. Groupage is not a legal term.
Groupage can mean:
- a single consignment of mixed products
- a mixed load of multiple consignments
A ‘single consignment of mixed products’ is where different products of the same commodity type (like cheese and butter, both dairy products) are grouped under a single health certificate and moved together.
A ‘mixed load’ is where many different commodity types (like dairy products and meat products) are grouped together on the same means of transport, and each consignment has its own health certificate.
Different products of the same commodity type
For different products of the same commodity type (like sausages and burgers which are both meat preparations), you should talk to the certifying officer to see if you import them as either a:
- single consignment covered by a single health certificate
- a mixed load of many consignments, each under their own health certificate
The certifying officer may decide that the products can move as a single consignment under a single health certificate if:
- some of the information in part 1 of the health certificate applies to all products (for example, they will be dispatched from the same establishment in the EU and use the same means of transport)
- all the products meet the same attestations in part II of the health certificate, where these do not have ‘and/or’ statements
Importing groupage or mixed load consignments
Before you import groupage consignments, you should read the relevant health certificate to understand the official control requirements for your specific product types.
If needed, you can contact the relevant authority in the exporting country for more information. For information on certification needed in Great Britain from 30 April 2024, you can contact the designated Border Control Post (BCP) linked to the point of entry.
Methods of importing groupage consignments
You can use 2 main methods when you are making plans to import groupage consignments:
- consolidation
- multi-pick-up
Consolidation Hub method
This is where many individual consignments are brought together at a single premises (or final point of dispatch) known as the ‘consolidation hub’.
The hub can act as a receiver, handler, storage provider and/or consolidator of the goods.
Products must be certified at the consolidation hub (as the point of dispatch to Great Britain) to check that the requirements for Great Britain have been met. They will then be loaded together onto the same means of transport.
The certifying officer may ask for more information or confirmation that the requirements are being or have been met.
It is up to the certifying officer issuing the health certificate to determine if the consignment meets the requirements for certification.
It is up to traders to coordinate the particulars of certification at an establishment with the local competent authority.
Defra pilot programme that removes the need for a certifying officer
Defra is now testing out a model that removes the need for a certifying officer to inspect certain packaged goods from the EU or the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) at a consolidation hub. Instead, the trader will provide the necessary assurances and declarations. This option will only be available to participants of Defra’s Certification Logistics Pilot. To use this model, the products must have been certified by a certifying officer at the point of origin.
All other medium risk products that are not covered by the pilot will need a health certificate issued at the consolidation hub by a certifying officer.
Multiple pick-up method
This is where a collection of individual consignments from multiple sites are moved by the same means of transport.
Products must be certified at each point of dispatch to Great Britain to make sure that the requirements for Great Britain have been met. They will then be loaded onto the same means of transport.
The specific arrangements for certification need to be coordinated by the exporter, and the relevant authorities in the exporting country.
It is up to the certifying officer issuing the health certificate to determine if the consignments meet the requirements for certification.
Simpler health certificates for groupage imports
Health certificates for animal products have changed to allow more products of the same type to be certified under a single health certificate.
EU exporters need to use health certificates for medium risk animal products. Exporters from the rest of the world will need to use these new heath certificates for medium risk animal products from 30 April 2024. But countries from the rest of the world can choose to start using them now.
Many of the sections that require an “either/or” statement have been replaced with “and/or” statements. This allows more products of the same type that meet different conditions to move under a single health certificate, rather than all products having to meet the same conditions.
For example, you could use the same health certificate for:
- different products that have been tested for trichinella using different methods, like digestion, freezing, or that come from farms that do not have trichinella
- ovine meat from different EU countries, even though each country has its own unique code for ovine meat - in this example, Great Britain will accept goods from more than one member state certified on one health certificate, but for traceability assurances, the origin of each must be listed
- 2 dairy products that have the same heat treatment done to the milk used to manufacture the product
Supporting information for official certification
The Official Veterinarian (OV) or certifying officer can use a wide range of information sources for certification, including:
- their own observations
- verified facts and data from authorised personnel
- facts and data from the operators’ internal control systems that are complemented and confirmed by results from regular official controls
Great Britain does not impose additional requirements on batch specific pre-certification beyond the requirements of official import certificates.
The OV or certifying officer must make sure that the conditions for issuing official certificates are met before they are issued.
Schedules
In agreement with the certifying officer, you may want to use a ‘schedule’. A schedule is inserted into the health certificate and gives more information when there is not enough room on the health certificate.
For example:
- when the products in a consignment contain a range of batch numbers or different slaughter dates
- to specify which attestations apply to which products within the consignment, especially if the product may be exported onwards from Great Britain or will be incorporated into a new product that will to be exported onwards from Great Britain
The schedule needs to be certified and signed by a certifying officer.
How to include the schedule depends on whether it is paper based or electronic. If it is paper based, the schedule is inserted into the health certificate. The schedule must be marked with the same reference number as the health certificate.
If the schedule is part of an electronic, PDF GB health certificate, you can do one of the following:
- upload a scanned copy of the signed schedule to the TRACES system
- use an approved, competent authority system and include the schedule as part of the electronic certificate
You need to include the schedule in box I.28 of the health certificate for live animals and the ‘additional documents’ box for animal products, which is usually box I.17.
Exporting to Great Britain without full transport information
If you are exporting animal products from the EU or EFTA as part of a groupage or mixed load, you may not know the final means of transport information or vehicle identification to complete the health certificate. Therefore, the certifying officer may complete the means of transport in the relevant box and use the word “groupage” as the identification instead.
However, the final transport details should be provided correctly as part of the Import of Products, Animals, Food and Feed System (IPAFFS) import declaration before arrival of the consignment in Great Britain.
If the health certificate requires inspection of the means of transport, the certifying officer must add the transport details to the health certificate and cannot use the word “groupage” as identification.
Transporting goods
The exporter and haulier can use their own methods for secure transportation and to differentiate individual consignments within a groupage or mixed load, unless specific methods are required by the:
- health certificate
- regulations for that specific commodity
- relevant authority in the exporting country
The exporter or haulier should organise and clearly label goods to show the difference between controlled and non-controlled items on a means of transport. This will help if a consignment is selected for border checks and it’s part of a group of consignments that are on the same means of transport.
For example, if medium-risk meat products which are controlled under Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) regulations, and washing machine parts which are not controlled under SPS regulations, are on the same means of transport.
Stay up to date
The government is exploring other options that could improve health certificates for groupage, while protecting biosecurity and human health. We encourage businesses to sign up for email alerts and stay up to date with the latest guidance on GOV.UK.
Contact APHA at imports@APHA.gov.uk if you have questions.
Last updated 28 March 2024 + show all updates
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Added a new section about supporting information for official certification under ‘Simpler health certificates for groupage imports’.
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For live animals you need to add the schedule to box I.28 of the health certificate.
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More information on how to add schedules has been added.
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A prompt has been added to prepare for new import controls which begin on 31 January 2024.
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First published.