How to request an update to the list of approved establishments
Updated 25 February 2025
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
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This guidance is for competent authorities in non-EU countries. It explains how to complete the ‘Approved establishments list: update request form’ (Excel form).
Download and complete the form to tell us about updates to the list of approved establishments for exporting live animals and animal products to Great Britain.
Read this guidance before you complete the form and return completed forms to us as soon as possible. You may cause delays to the import process if you do not complete the form correctly.
The UK and the European Union (EU) do not share data about approved establishments in non-EU countries. You must complete the form to tell us about updates to the list of approved establishments, even if you’ve already notified the EU.
How to complete the form
Download the update request form.
There’s a separate worksheet on the form for each type of change. You should use worksheet number:
- ‘Add’ – to add a new establishment.
- ‘Remove’ – to remove an establishment.
- ‘Amend’ – to change the details of an existing approved establishment.
Complete the form in English.
You can use one form to report as many changes as you need. Use a separate row for each establishment.
You must complete all parts of the relevant worksheet except for ‘Remarks’, which is optional for some commodities.
Do not add any links, image files or other documents to the form. If you include these in the form, it will be returned to you. This could delay your establishment update.
Declaration
Read the declaration before completing the relevant worksheet. By completing and submitting the form, you confirm that:
- you have inspected the establishments
- the establishments meet the provisions of the named legislation for the relevant products
Country
Enter the name of the country where the establishment is based.
Section
Enter the section. This means the primary activity the establishment is approved for. You may enter multiple sections if the establishment is approved for more than one activity. Separate each section using a comma.
Choose from the following lists of sections for food establishments, animal by-product establishments and germinal product establishments.
Food establishment sections
Meat of domestic ungulates (section I).
Meat from poultry and lagomorphs (section II).
Meat of farmed game (section III).
Wild game meat (section IV).
Minced meat or meat preparations and mechanically separated meat (section V).
Meat products (section VI).
Live bivalve molluscs (section VII).
Fishery products (section VIII).
Raw milk or dairy products, or colostrum and colostrum-based products (section IX).
Eggs and egg products (section X).
Frogs’ legs and snails (section XI).
Rendered animal fats and greaves (section XII).
Treated stomachs or bladders and intestines – casing only (section XIII).
Gelatine (section XIV).
Treated raw material for the production of gelatine and collagen (section XIV-XV).
Raw materials for the production of gelatine and collagen (section XIV-Xvbis).
Collagen (section XV).
Animal by-product (ABP) establishment sections
Slaughterhouses (section I).
Dairy plants (section II).
Other facility for the collection or handling of animal by-products (unprocessed or untreated materials (section III).
Processing plants (section IV).
Petfood plants (including plants manufacturing dog chews and flavouring innards) (section V).
Game trophies plants (section VI).
Plants or establishments manufacturing intermediate products (section VII).
Fertiliser and soil improvers (section VIII).
Storage of derived products (section IX).
Blood and blood products, excluding of equidae, for technical purposes other than feed for animals (section X).
Germinal product establishment sections
Semen centres (section I).
Embryo team (section II).
Authorisation number
Enter the authorisation number you have allocated to the establishment.
Establishment name and address
Enter the name and address of the establishment, including the:
- street name
- city
- province, region or state
Write out the name of the province, region or state in full. Do not enter an abbreviation.
Activity codes
Use the activity codes to list the activities the establishment is approved for. Do not write out the activity names in full.
Separate the codes with a comma if there’s more than one activity.
Refer to:
- Table 1 for a list of activity codes and their names
- Table 3 for examples of activity and remark codes for various establishments
ABP establishments should only use the activity codes CAT1, CAT2 and CAT3.
Table 1: Activity codes and names
| Activity code | Activity name |
| CAT1 | Category 1 |
| CAT2 | Category 2 |
| CAT3 | Category 3 |
| CP | Cutting plant |
| CS | Cold stores |
| ECT | Embryo collection team |
| EPC | Egg-packing centre |
| FIV | Embryo production team |
| FV | Factory vessel |
| GHE | Game-handling establishment |
| IP | Dispatch centre |
| LEP | Liquid egg plant |
| MM | Minced meat plant |
| MP | Meat preparation plant |
| MSM | Mechanically separated meat plant |
| PC | Purification centre |
| PP | Processing plant |
| RV | Reefer vessel |
| SCC | Semen collection centre |
| SH | Slaughterhouse |
| SSC | Semen storage centre |
| Z | Production areas |
| ZV | Freezing vessel |
Remark codes
Use the remark codes to list any remarks that apply to the establishment. Do not write out the remark names in full.
Separate the codes with a comma if there’s more than one remark.
Remark codes are not needed for all establishments. Leave this part of the form blank if the establishment does not have a remark code.
Refer to:
- Table 2 for a list of remark codes and their names
- Table 3 for examples of activity and remark codes for various establishments
Table 2: Remark codes and names
| Remark code | Remark name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Offal excluded |
| 1 / | 1 |
| 2 | Packaged meat only |
| 3 | Livers and kidneys excluded |
| 5 | Tongues, hearts, kidneys, livers, stomachs and carcass meat only |
| 8 | In addition to the listed type of approval, this plant is also approved for slaughter and cutting of bovine animals having a live weight of less than 60 kg and slaughtered exclusively on the sheep line |
| 8* | In addition to the listed type of approval, this plant is also approved for slaughter of bovine animals having a live weight of less than 60 kg and slaughtered exclusively on the sheep line |
| 9 | Cold store – the cold-store section of this establishment is also allowed to store frozen packaged meat from other EC-approved establishments in New Zealand |
| 10 | Only storage of meat already finally packaged in approved slaughtering or cutting establishments |
| 12 | Complies fully with the requirements of the non-hormone treated cattle programme |
| 13 | Complies fully with the requirements of the Pork for European Union programme |
| 14 | Pig meat intended solely for the manufacture of meat products on own territory |
| 15 | Establishments within the meaning of Article 2 of Regulation 2075/2005 as amended, are provided with laboratories designated by the competent authority to carry out the examination of trichinae in pig meat and meat from solipeds, by using one of the methods of detection referred to in Article 2, 1(a),(b) of this regulation |
| 16 | Establishments are authorised within the meaning of Article 3 of Regulation 2075/2005 to perform the freezing treatment in accordance with Annex II of this regulation under the supervision of the competent authority |
| 17 | Poultry meat produced solely for the manufacture of poultry meat products on own territory and intended for export to the EU |
| 18 | Excluding meat of wild swine |
| 19 | Examination for trichinae |
| 20 | Deboned meat only – offals excluded |
| 21 | Blood products |
| 22 | Meat products |
| 23 | Meat extracts and any powdered products derived from meat |
| 24 | Treated stomachs, bladders and intestines (other than casings) |
| 24* | Treated stomachs, bladders and intestines (other than casings, only for Bovinae) |
| 27 | Ice cream only |
| 28 | A 4-digit code will appear on packaging and certification. The first 2 digits of the 4-digit code refer to the establishment approval number. The additional digits represent, under the NZ national code, different types of product 9 / 9 |
| 31 | Treatment – more than single pasteurisation |
| 34 | Only for live, non-farmed crayfish |
| 35 | Establishment also authorised to process bivalve molluscs belonging to the species Acanthocardia tuberculatum, in accordance with Article 12 of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/628 |
| 37 | Excluding the last 4 meters of the small intestine, the caecum and the mesentery of bovine animals of all ages and the ileum of sheep and goats or products derived thereof, as provided for in Regulation (EC) No 999/2001, as amended. Also excluded are intestines derived from bovine, ovine or caprine animals on which the nervous tissue has been lacerated by means of an elongated rod-shaped instrument introduced into the cranial cavity after stunning or by gas injection. This exclusion does not apply to such products derived from animals born, continuously reared and slaughtered in a country recognised as having a negligible bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) risk in accordance with Decision 2007/453/EC, as last amended |
| 38 | The competent authority guarantees that the bovine raw material originates in countries with negligible BSE risk in accordance with the Annex to Commission Decision 2007/453/EC as amended |
| 40 | Excluding offals, stomachs and casings |
| 42 | This plant is approved for cutting of bovine animals having a live weight of less than 60 kg |
| 44 | For live non-farmed crayfish and for cooked or frozen non-farmed crayfish |
| 45 | Live lobster only |
| 47 | Packaged offal. Bobby calves only |
| 48 | Minced poultry meat and mechanically separated poultry meat are excluded |
| 51 | Fresh fishery products and live lobsters |
| 52 | Authorised only for imports of caviar |
| 53 | Wild pectinidae only |
| 58 | The raw material must be EU-compliant and originate from an EU-approved establishment |
| 59 | Imports of smoked fishery products are not authorised from this establishment |
| 60 | Mechanically separated meat from Ovine only |
| 61 | Only for TRANSIT |
| 62 | Third countries using only raw material either from member states or from other third countries approved for imports of such raw material to the Union, in accordance with Article 2 |
| A | Poultry |
| Aq | Aquaculture product (farmed product, except bivalve molluscs) |
| B | Bovinae |
| Bbis | Bison bison |
| BM | Processing bivalve molluscs |
| C | Capra hircus |
| Cdr | Only dairy products produced from milk of camels of the species Camelus dromedarius are authorised |
| cG | Ovibos moschatus and Rangifer tarandus |
| Cr | Live crustaceans |
| F | Suffix ‘F’ to the approval number is used for statistical reasons and does not need to appear on the accompanying documents and not on the label of the product |
| fG | Farmed land mammals other than domestic ungulates |
| fl | Frogs’ legs |
| L | Lagomorphs |
| Ll | Leporidae |
| Lo | Oryctolagus cuniculus |
| lwG | Large wild game |
| O | Ovis aries |
| O! | No processing plant but approved as exporter or processing plant following the Recommendation of the Joint Management Committee from 2005 |
| P | Suidae |
| Psc | Fish |
| R | Ratites |
| R 692/2014 | Restrictions on the import into the Union of goods originating in Crimea or Sevastopol, in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol |
| S | Equidae |
| SH* | Slaughterhouse (only for Bovinae) |
| SH*** | Slaughterhouse (only for Caprins and Ovins) |
| SH** | Slaughterhouse (only for Caprine) |
| sn | Snails |
| wA | Wild game birds |
| wbU | Biungulates |
| wG | Wild land mammals other than wild ungulates |
| wL | Lagomorphs living freely in the wild |
| wU | Wild ungulates |
| ZA | Production zones in compliance with provision laid down in Annex II, Heading II A3, of the Regulation (EC) 2004/854 |
| ZB | Production zones in compliance with provision laid down in Annex II, Heading II A4, of the Regulation (EC) 2004/854 |
| ZC | Production zones in compliance with provision laid down in Annex II, Heading II A5, of the Regulation (EC) 2004/854 |
| Z1 | Production zone corresponding at a ZA from November to May, and to ZB from June to October |
Date of request
Enter the date that the addition, removal or change is effective from. This can be a date in the past.
Enter the date in the format DD/MM/YYYY. For example, 1 January 2024 would read as 01/01/2024.
Your imports may be delayed if you do not add a date.
Fishery vessels
Only factory vessels, freezer vessels and reefer vessels should also add their:
- IMO or Lloyd’s number, if issued
- international radio call sign
- registration number (external identification in flag state registry)
- flag state (country of registration)
How to submit the form
Email the completed form to ukassurance@defra.gov.uk.
Send the email from a work email address. Include your name and role title in the email.
Examples of typical activity and remark codes
Table 3 provides some examples of typical activity and remark codes that are associated with different establishment sectors and sections. This is not an exhaustive list.
Table 3: Typical activity and remark codes for establishments
| Establishment sector and section | Typical activity codes | Typical remark codes |
|---|---|---|
| Food – Meat of domestic ungulates (section I) | CP, CS, SH, PP, MP, MM | 58, 1, 10, B, 2, 12, Bbis, O, S, 16, P, 13, 5, 38, 14, 15, 3, C, 18, wU, 20, 8, 9, 47, SH**, 8, SH*, 61, 40 |
| Food – Meat from poultry and lagomorphs (section II) | SH, CP, CS, PP, MP | A, 2, 22, L, Ll, 17, Lo, 48, 58, 10 |
| Food – Meat of farmed game (section III) | SH, CP, CS | R, wbU, 61, 2, Bbis, 58 |
| Food – Wild game meat (section IV) | GHE, CP, CS | Ll, IwG, wA, 19, 18, 20, 2, cG, wbU, 61 |
| Food – Minced meat or meat preparations and mechanically separated meat (section V) | MM, MP, CS, CP | 48, A, B, O, 2, P, C, wbU, 60, 61, 58, Bbis, wU, R |
| Food – Meat products (section VI) | PP, MP, CS, CP | A, B, 22, 23, 24, 24*, L, O, S, C, fG, wG, wL, R, 21, 58, Bbis, lwG, 10, 12, 38, wU, 16 |
| Food – Live bivalve molluscs (section VII) | Z, FV, IP, PP, PC | Z1, ZA, ZB, ZC |
| Food – Fishery products (section VIII) | PP, ZV, CS, FV, IP, RV | 59, 45, Aq, 51, Psc, O!, 22, A, 34, 44, 52, 62, B, BM, F |
| Food – Raw milk or dairy products, or colostrum and colostrum-based products (section IX) | PP, CS | 31, B, O, C, 27, 28, Cdr |
| Food – Eggs and egg products (section X) | PP, LEP, CS, EPC, ZV | A, Aq |
| Food – Frogs’ legs and snails (section XI) | PP, CS, IP | fl, sn |
| Food – Rendered animal fats and greaves (section XII) | PP | A, B, P |
| Food – Treated stomachs or bladders and intestines – casing only (section XIII) | PP, CS, CP, SH | S, 37, B, O, P, 10, 24*, C, 38 |
| Food – Gelatine (section XIV) | PP, CS | Aq, Psc, B, A, P |
| Food – Treated raw material for the production of gelatine and collagen (section XIV-XV) | PP | B, Psc |
| Food – Raw materials for the production of gelatine and collagen (section XIV-Xvbis) | PP | B |
| Food – Collagen (section XV) | PP, CS | B, Aq, Psc, A, P |
| Animal by-products – Slaughterhouses (section I) | CAT2, CAT3 | None |
| Animal by-products – Dairy plants (section II) | CAT3 | None |
| Animal by-products – Other facility for the collection or handling of animal by-products (unprocessed or untreated materials (section III) | CAT1, CAT2, CAT3 | None |
| Animal by-products – Processing plants (section IV) | CAT1, CAT2, CAT3 | None |
| Animal by-products – Petfood plants (including plants manufacturing dog chews and flavouring innards) (section V) | CAT1, CAT2, CAT3 | None |
| Animal by-products – Game trophies plants (section VI) | CAT2, CAT3 | None |
| Animal by-products – Plants or establishments manufacturing intermediate products (section VII) | CAT1, CAT2, CAT3 | None |
| Animal by-products – Fertiliser and soil improvers (section VIII) | CAT2, CAT3 | None |
| Animal by-products – Storage of derived products (section IX) | CAT1, CAT2, CAT3 | None |
| Animal by-products – Blood and blood products, excluding of equidae, for technical purposes other than feed for animals (section X) | CAT1, CAT3 | None |
| Germinal products – Semen centres (section I) | SCC, SSC | B, O, C, S, P |
| Germinal products – Embryo team (section II) | ECT, FIV, SSC | B, C, O, S |