Export food, drink and agricultural products

Guide

Last updated 30 April 2024

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 through the ‘red lane’ (full customs requirements)

The Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme (NIRMS) allows traders to move eligible goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland under ‘green lane’ customs arrangements. Find out more about NIRMS.   

You need an Export Health Certificate (EHC) certificate or to follow special rules to export:

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 NI

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

  • export it from Great Britain to the EU
  • move it from Great Britain to Northern Ireland through the red lane
  • transit through the EU
  • transit through Northern Ireland

If you’re moving food or drink that contains POAO to NI, 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.

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

You’ll also need to:

  • get your goods checked at an EU border control post (BCP) or NI point of entry in the first country you enter
  • make sure your EU or NI-based import agent has notified the BCP or NI point of entry that your consignment is arriving - check with the BCP or NI point of entry for how much notice needs to be given
  • follow wider guidance on requirements for exporting

Read additional guidance if you’re:

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 to the EU or move to Northern Ireland through the red lane 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.

Commercial samples containing POAO

Commercial samples of goods that contain POAO need an EHC to be exported to the EU or moved to Northern Ireland through the red lane.

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

Businesses approved for exporting to the EU

If you export food or drink that contains POAO to the EU, or move it to Northern Ireland through the red lane, you need to be listed as an approved business.

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:

  • group 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 or move the following goods to the EU or Northern Ireland through the red lane:  

  • 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 (tuberculosis) herds
  • ungraded eggs

If you plan to re-export or move imported food or drink that contains POAO to the EU or Northern Ireland through the red lane, follow guidance on what’s eligible for re-exporting.

Checks at EU Border Control Posts (BCPs) or point(s) of entry in NI

If you’re exporting food or drink that contains POAO to the EU or moving it to Northern Ireland, you must get it checked at an EU BCP or Northern Ireland point of entry.

These checks are made to protect:

  • animal health and welfare
  • public health

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

  • a port or airport in the EU that does not have a BCP that can carry out checks
  • an EU BCP or Northern Ireland point of entry that cannot check your type of product
  • an EU BCP or Northern Ireland point of entry without the correct documentation

Find the correct EU BCP or Northern Ireland point of entry for your goods

You must find an EU BCP  or Northern Ireland point of entry that accepts your type of goods as not all of them accept all goods. 

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

There are more than 400 EU BCPs and Northern Ireland points of entry. 

Find a suitable EU BCP or Northern Ireland point of entry.

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.

Your import agent should use TRACES  to notify the BCP or point of entry about 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 GB

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 GB 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 
  • 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 GB BCP.

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.

Export food and drink to non-EU countries

You usually need to complete an EHC and some supporting documents to export food or drink 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 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 EU 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(s) back. It’s free to apply and the certificates do not expire unless the country you’re exporting to specifies a time limit.

Re-export POAO imported to Great Britain

Re-exporting (also known as ‘triangular trade’) is when a product is imported from a country into Great Britain and then exported back to that country or to a different country.

Re-export or move imported POAO to the EU or Northern Ireland

Some POAO imported to Great Britain from an EU or non-EU country need ‘further processing’ to be eligible for re-exporting to the EU or moving to Northern Ireland through the red lane. These are POAO where the EU export health certificate includes animal health requirements.

Further processing means any processing that substantially alters the initial product. For example, for meat this includes heating, smoking, curing, maturing, drying, marinating, extraction, extrusion or a combination of these processes.

Further processing is not necessary if the EU export health certificate only includes public health requirements (for example, honey).

You can also re-export or move POAO imported from the EU or Northern Ireland back to the EU or Northern Ireland through the red lane using an EHC 8461. This only applies if the product has not been:

  • removed from its original packaging
  • handled beyond unloading, reloading, transporting and storage

You cannot re-export or move products using POAO from non-EU countries that are not listed by the EU for the purpose of imports into the EU.

Re-export POAO to non-EU countries 

The rules for re-exporting POAO imported from an EU or non-EU country to a non-EU country depend on:

Check duties, rules and restrictions for your goods in the destination country.

Re-export POAO to non-EU countries 

The rules for re-exporting POAO imported from an EU or non-EU country to a non-EU country depend on:

Check duties, rules and restrictions for your goods in the destination country.

Re-exporting low-risk POAO

You don’t need a health certificate to import some low-risk POAO to Great Britain. Where this is the case, a certifying officer cannot rely on a mandatory health certificate for the information they need to certify the goods for re-export.

If the goods need an EHC to be re-exported, it is your responsibility to provide the certifying officer with the necessary supporting evidence. You’ll need to plan well in advance, as it may not be possible to get the supporting evidence after the goods have left the country of origin.

Before the goods leave the country of origin, you should:

  • check if you’re allowed to re-export the goods to the destination country
  • check with the certifying officer what supporting evidence you’ll need to provide
  • ask the exporter to provide the necessary evidence

Sources of supporting evidence can include:

  • a certificate from an official or authorised vet in the country of origin
  • the Common Health Entry Document (CHED) created when the goods enter Great Britain

For more information:

  • check with the certifying officer
  • refer to the official guidance notes published with the EHC

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.

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Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs - EU exit