Guidance

31 March 2025: Supporting documentation for imports of certain animal by-products originating from Germany

Updated 11 April 2025

OVS note number:  2025/26

Date:  31 March 2025

1. Purpose

To inform you that certain animal by-products (ABPs) require supporting documentation to provide assurance that the products have either undergone acceptable risk mitigation treatments or where applicable, originate from animals outside of the restricted zones in Germany.

2. Background

The United Kingdom has now agreed to recognise regionalisation of Germany, following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) reported on 10 January 2025 (see OVS note 2025/23)

As a result, trade of affected commodities can now resume from the areas outside of the containment zone, provided that all other import conditions are met.

Certain animal by-products (ABPs), from FMD susceptible animals, require supporting documentation to provide assurance that the products have either undergone acceptable risk mitigation treatments or where applicable, originate from animals outside of the restricted zones in Germany.

Types of supporting documentation

Type A (processing or treatment) supporting documents are:

• copies of manufacturing records showing relevant parameters of the production process that relate to the specific goods in the consignment

or

• a commercial document or statement signed by a person with knowledge of and responsibility for the relevant parts of the production process on company letter headed paper, that specifies the production parameters that relate to the specific goods in the consignment

Type B (origin of material) supporting documents are:

• a commercial document or statement signed by a person with knowledge of and responsibility for the relevant parts of the production process on company letter headed paper, that declares the products does not contain ABP originating from animals inside FMD restricted zone

ABPs requiring supporting documentation

Only the listed ABPs require supporting documentation.

The following ABPs originating from inside the restricted zones require Type A supporting documentation:

• fat derivatives
• pig bristles (in addition to health certificate)
• processed petfood (other than canned or extruded dry petfood)
• rendered fats for use outside the feed chain
• treated wool and hair
• treated game trophies or other preparations of susceptible animals, being solely comprised of bones, horns, hooves, claws, antlers or teeth, except those referred to in Section 5, point 1 of Annex XIV to Regulation 142/2011

The following ABPs originating from outside the restricted zones require Type A or Type B supporting documentation:

• bones and bone products, horns and horn products and hooves and hoof products intended for use other than as feed material organic fertilisers or soil improvers
• fat derivatives – low risk only (for use other than in animal feed)
• processed pet food (other than canned and extruded dry petfood)
• rendered fats for uses outside the feed chain
• treated game trophies or other preparations being solely comprised of bones, horns, hooves, claws, antlers or teeth, except those referred to in paragraph (1) of Section 5 of Chapter II of Annex 14 to Regulation 142/2011
• treated hair and wool
• treated pig bristles

The following ABPs originating from outside the restricted zones require Type B supporting documentation:

• colostrum, colostrum products – low risk only (not for use in animal feed)
• milk, milk-based products and milk-derived products – low risk only (not for use in animal feed)
• processed manure
• treated game trophies comprised of hides and skins except those referred to in paragraph (1) of Section 5 of Chapter II of Annex 14 to Regulation 142/2011
• treated hides and skins of ungulates except:
  • hides and skins having undergone the complete process of tanning
  • wet blue
  • pickled pelts
  • limed hides which have been treated with lime and in brine at a pH of 12 to 13 for at least 8 hours

Submitting the documents

The documents must be uploaded and attached to the common health entry document (CHED) import notification the trader creates in IPAFFS, in the ‘Additional Documentation’ section before they submit it unless the goods are already detained at the BCP. This does not apply to treated wool and hair which is not subject to official controls at a BCP.

Where the supporting documents are provided after the consignment is no longer under the control of the competent authority in the exporting country, for example, consignments currently detained at a BCP, you must be able to satisfy yourself that the documentation confirms that:

•  after making due enquiries and necessary checks the manufacturer can confirm that to the best of their knowledge, the manufacturing process complies with the required treatment or that the ABP does not originate from the restricted zones

• documentary checks at the production site correlate with the lot or batch numbers on the commercial document or health certificate and comply with aforesaid treatment or declaration of origin of ABPs

4. Actions for OVSs

To note the contents of this OVS note.

5. Contact point for enquiries

bbtp-issue-triage@defra.gov.uk

imports@apha.gov.uk

Imports and EU Trade Team