Guidance

Import animal by-products from the EU to Great Britain

How to import or move animal by-products from the EU to Great Britain.

From:
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Published
13 November 2023
Last updated
11 December 2024 — See all updates

Animal by-products (ABP) means ‘animal by-products and derived products not intended for human consumption’.

This guidance applies to businesses in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) importing or moving animal by-products not intended for human consumption (ABP) from the EU. Imports from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland should also follow this guidance.

It also 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.

You need to follow different guidance if you’re importing: 

ABP is categorised into medium and low risk categories under the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM).

All goods must enter Great Britain through a point of entry that has the relevant border control post (BCP), except:

  • research and diagnostic samples  
  • goods from Ireland

Goods moving directly from the Republic of Ireland must enter England or Scotland through a point of entry with a relevant BCP, or through Heysham. Goods from Ireland can enter Wales through any named point of entry. 

There are separate rules for qualifying Northern Ireland goods.

ABPs are also in category 1, 2 or 3. In most cases, you cannot import ABP from categories 1 or 2.

The BTOM risk categories do not correspond to ABP categories 1, 2 and 3.

Read more about importing ABP under the Border Target Operating Model.

Import ABP from approved businesses in the EU 

In most cases, you can only import ABP from establishments approved by the EU to trade with the UK.

If you’re not sure whether you can import something from an establishment which has not been approved, email the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) at imports@apha.gov.uk.

Transporting ABP

Transporters based in Great Britain must be registered on Animal by-product operating plants: approved premises to transport ABP.

Transporters based in the EU must be registered on Establishments approved to export animals and animal products to Great Britain to transport ABP.

Check what documents you need

Health certificates

You need a health certificate (sometimes called an official certificate) for medium risk imports, if one is available.

Find the import risk category for the ABP you are importing from the EU to Great Britain.

The EU exporter must apply for the GB health certificate in their own country. Competent authorities must use model health certificates to create versions that exporters can apply for.

If the exporter creates a GB health certificate using a system approved to produce verifiable PDF certificates, they do not need to send the original health certificate with the consignment. They must send you the official, verifiable PDF certificate once it has been signed by the competent authority. Use this for your import notification in the import of products, animals, food and feed system (IPAFFS).

If the exporter does not use a system approved to produce verifiable PDF certificates, the competent authority must send the original paper GB health certificate with the consignment and send you an electronic copy to attach to your import notification in IPAFFS.

Model importer declarations

Model importer declarations are not currently required for ABP imports from EU countries. This includes:

  • bones and bone products, horns and horn products and hoof products intended for use other than as feed material, organic fertilisers or soil improvers
  • untreated wool and hair, depending on the country of origin and intended destination
  • intermediate products

These products must travel with a commercial document.

Import authorisations and licences

You may need an import authorisation or licence before importation if there is no health certificate for your goods.

You can find out if you need a licence or authorisation by checking the appropriate Import Information Note. If there is no Import Information Note for your goods, you may also need a licence or authorisation. 

You can use one of the general import licences and authorisations for most goods from the EU that require an import authorisation.

The authorisation or licence does not need to travel with the consignment unless it states otherwise.

If the licence or authorisation you need does not exist, you must apply for a specific one using an IV58 form.

New general import authorisations are currently under development for certain types of products from EU and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) member states. This will introduce specific import conditions to ensure animal and public health is protected. We will give you sufficient time following publication before you must use them to import these types of products.

Relevant Import Information Notes will be updated if new general import authorisations are published.

You no longer need a facilitation letter to import any ABP from the EU.

Research and diagnostic samples from 1 February 2025

You need to use a new general import authorisation for research and diagnostic samples from the EU from 1 February 2025.  This authorisation must accompany the consignment.

You do not need to apply for a specific import authorisation. The new general authorisation covers the import of products that meet both the definition of and conditions for import of research and diagnostic samples.

Research and diagnostic samples that travel with an appropriate import authorisation are exempt from official controls at a BCP. This means they do not have to enter GB through a point of entry with a designated BCP. You do not need to notify APHA before importing research and diagnostic samples.

Commercial documents

All consignments that do not have a health certificate must travel with a commercial document. The commercial document must be from the supplier and travel with your consignment. Suppliers can use the template commercial document for imports of ABP.

The commercial document must show a description of what’s in the consignment, including:

  • quantity information in weight, volume or number of packages
  • whether it’s category 1, 2 or 3 material – if it’s a mixture it counts as the highest risk category, for example a mixture containing categories 1, 2 and 3 material would be treated as category 1 material
  • the animal species

It must include the: 

  • name of the person or organisation who sent it
  • name of the person or organisation it’s being sent to
  • premises of origin address and registration or approval number
  • date it left the premises of origin
  • destination premises address and registration or approval number
  • name, address and registration number of the transporter

If the ABP is being transported in containers, it must also come with the container identification number. 

If the ABP is category 3 whole carcasses or heads destined for animal feed, the commercial document must also say the ear tag number of the animal if there was one.

If they are destined for uses other than animal feed, organic fertiliser or soil improver, the commercial document must contain information about processing for: 

  • bones and bone products (except bone meal)
  • horn and horn products (except horn meal)
  • hooves and hoof products (except hoof meal)

For beeswax destined for anything other than feeding farmed animals, the commercial document must say how it was refined or processed. 

For treated hides and skins, the commercial document must confirm that all precautions have been taken to avoid contamination with pathogenic agents. 

For game trophies or other products made only of hides or skin, the commercial document must say how they were processed and packaged. 

For treated feathers, parts of treated feathers and down, the commercial document must say how they were treated and washed. 

For display items, the commercial document must identify the authorisation of the competent authority of destination.

Notify APHA

You must submit an import notification on IPAFFS to notify APHA about all imports of ABP subject to border controls from the EU. This is also known as a common health entry document (CHED).

You must do this at least one working day before the ABP is expected to arrive at the point of entry. 

You’ll get a notification reference number when you submit your import notification. The format of this number will be CHEDP.GB.YYYY.XXXXXXX.

Add information about the approved business you’re importing from

You need to add information to IPAFFS about the approved business you’re importing from, if the consignment is coming from: 

  • the EU 
  • Iceland
  • Norway 
  • Switzerland 
  • Liechtenstein 
  • San Marino 
  • the Faroe Islands  
  • Greenland

Follow these steps to add the approved business: 

  1. Sign in or register to use IPAFFS. 
  2. On the ‘Traders addresses’ page, select ‘Add a place of origin’, then select ‘Create a new place of origin’. 
  3. In the ‘Place of origin name’ field, enter the full name of the exporting business, then its authorisation number. 
  4. In the ‘Place of origin’ fields, enter the full address, telephone number, country and email address for the business. 
  5. Save these details. Details will be saved to your address book so that you can use them again. 
  6. Add the approved business to your notification.

If you need help with import notifications

If you need technical help with IPAFFS, call APHA’s helpline on 03300 416 999 or email APHAServiceDesk@apha.gov.uk.

If you need help completing import notifications, contact the port health authority at the relevant BCP.

Confirm goods have arrived at their destination if they need channelling 

‘Channelling’ is where an ABP consignment must be moved directly from the point of entry to the approved point of destination. All precautions, including safe disposal of waste, must be taken to avoid risks of spreading diseases to animals or humans. 

The recipient must tell APHA within one day of the goods arriving at the destination. 

Check the ABP risk categories to understand if your low-risk goods need channelling.

The following medium risk ABPs are subject to channelling: 

  • those intended for the manufacture of feed for fur animals, pet food other than raw pet food, and for derived products for uses other than for feeding farmed animals  
  • fat derivatives for use in animal feed
  • trade samples 

Untreated blood and blood products require channelling if all the following is true:

  • they are for the manufacture of derived products for uses other than feeding farmed animals  
  • they have been derived from animals belonging to the taxa Artiodactyla, Perissodactyla (excluding Equidae) and Proboscidea, including their crossbreeds 
  • they come from a country or region where vaccination programmes against foot-and-mouth disease are being officially carried out and controlled in domestic ruminant animals for at least 12 months

Untreated blood products from animals other than Suidae, Tayassuidae and Equidae require channelling if they come from countries or regions where: 

  • there have been recorded cases of vesicular stomatitis and bluetongue in the previous 12 months 
  • vaccination programmes against vesicular stomatitis and bluetongue are being officially carried out against those diseases for at least 12 months in the susceptible animals 

Untreated blood products from Suidae and Tayassuidae animals require channelling if they come from countries or regions where: 

  • no case of swine vesicular disease, classical swine fever and African swine fever has been recorded in the previous 12 months and vaccination has not been carried out against those diseases in those 12 months  
  • cases of vesicular stomatitis (including the presence of seropositive animals) have been recorded in the previous 12 months and vaccination has been carried out against this disease within those 12 months in the susceptible species

Moving ABP from Northern Ireland to Great Britain

You can move ABP from Northern Ireland to Great Britain if they’re qualifying Northern Ireland goods.

When ABP arrives in Great Britain

Unless the goods are from Ireland, there are checks at the border on medium risk goods from the EU.

Unless the goods are from Ireland, low risk goods may have checks at the border but these are not routine.

You must send ABP to an approved premises when it arrives in Great Britain, except processed pet food or dog chews.

Find out if your consignment needs sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks 

If you’re importing ABP from the EU to Great Britain, you must present the consignment at the relevant BCP if it is called for SPS checks.  

If you’re importing the goods through an airport, the authorities will carry out any necessary checks before they release the consignment for collection by your transporter.  

If you’re importing the goods through a port, the way to find out if your consignment needs SPS checks will depend on whether your transporter is using the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS) to clear customs.  

If your transporter is using GVMS, they should use the check if you need to report for an inspection service to find out what they need to do.  

If your transporter is not using GVMS, IPAFFS will provide an initial risk assessment telling you if your consignment needs SPS checks when you submit your import notification. If your consignment does need checks, you’ll also receive a text and email message 2 hours before your transporter’s estimated time of arrival in Great Britain. The message will confirm what you need to do.  

If IPAFFS tells you your consignment has not been selected for SPS checks, you should still check for messages until your consignment has cleared the port, because the authorities may still call you for checks based on their final risk assessment. 

Read separate guidance if you’re transiting animal products through Great Britain.   

 Find out what happens at BCPs.

If you need help 

Contact APHA’s imports team if you’re not sure about anything in this guide. 

If you need help with your customs declaration 

Contact HMRC for help.

Updates to this page

Published 13 November 2023
Last updated 11 December 2024 + show all updates

  1. Added detail on importer declarations that are needed to import animal by-product from EU countries, and how to find out if an import authorisation or licence is needed. Also added text to clarify that a new general import authorisation must be used for research and diagnostic samples from the EU from 1 February 2025. Removed information about ‘Imports of non-harmonised ABP from 1 February 2025’, as this no longer applies.

  2. This page has been updated with information about checks on ABP from the EU, in line with the Border Target Operating Model. All ABP imported from the EU must now enter Great Britain through a point of entry with the relevant border control post. The ‘Notify APHA’ and ‘Check what documents you need’ sections have been swapped over so they are now in the order that importers need to do things. A section has been added to help users prepare for importing non-harmonised ABP from 1 February 2025.

  3. The guidance has been updated to include current information about the border target operating model risk categories, health certificates and common health entry documents.

  4. A prompt has been added to prepare for new import controls which begin on 31 January 2024.

  5. Added a sentence confirming that imports of ABP will not require facilitation letters from the EU from 31 January 2024.

  6. First published.

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