Guidance

Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme: how to register and seal consignments

How to register for the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme to move or sell food in Northern Ireland.

From:
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Published
28 July 2023
Last updated
21 February 2025 — See all updates

All businesses in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland responsible for moving or selling food for final consumption in Northern Ireland can now register for the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme (NIRMS).

This includes: 

  • retailers selling finished goods to end consumers 

  • hospitality venues in Northern Ireland, such as pubs and restaurants, who are bringing goods in directly from Great Britain

  • businesses that provide food to the public sector like schools, hospitals and prisons 

  • wholesalers supplying retail outlets 

  • businesses operating factory canteens 

Before you register 

Check which products can move under NIRMS. 

Before you register for NIRMS, you will need to register for: 

If you are a business that only exports pet food, and you cannot get a food business operator number, enter the approval number of the registered animal by-product business as a food business operator number instead. If you are not able to enter some special characters, such as a forward slash or a space, replace them with a hyphen.   

If you are a business based in Northern Ireland, you will also need to register for the Common Health Entry Document Operators Portal  (CHOP).

You may also be eligible for the UK Internal Market Scheme for customs purposes. 

When you register, you’ll need to provide details of all the establishments you dispatch or receive goods at under the scheme. You’ll also need to confirm that they are registered food business operators in the UK.

The business sending the consignment in Great Britain and the business receiving the consignment in Northern Ireland need to be registered for the scheme. 

Traders will need to agree to the terms and conditions of the scheme. If the application is successful, they will receive email confirmation with:

  • a scheme membership number for their business
  • establishment numbers for all of their establishments which send or receive goods​ 

Completing the general certificate 

After you have registered for NIRMS, you’ll be able to complete the general certificate through the export health certificate online service. 

A general certificate will have a unique number. You need a general certificate for each consignment of goods moving under the scheme. 

To complete the general certificate, you’ll need to include the: 

  • name and address for the consignor and consignee

  • details of the operator responsible

  • place of dispatch and destination

  • means of transport

  • point of entry 

  • seal numbers 

Completing an additional document for NIRMS goods  

You must complete an additional document (often a form of packing list) that must include all of the following information: 

  • a description of the retail goods   

  • the nature of the products  

  • the type of treatment that has been applied to the product, for example if it is raw or if it has been processed

  • the Retail Movement Scheme number of the place they are being dispatched from in Great Britain  

  • the number of packages 

  • the net weight 

  • the country of origin, for some products  

  • a declaration that any goods from the rest of the world in the consignment covered by this document have passed checks or been through an EU border control post, where necessary

You can also add the commodity code to the packing list, but you do not have to.

You need to provide one additional document for each general certificate, which covers all of the NIRMS products. The packing list cannot cover 2 general certificates.  

In the future, APHA will introduce a digital update to NIRMS that will embed the general certificate reference into your additional document. This guidance will be updated when this change is made. You can sign up for updates to this page.

Non-NIRMS goods and the packing list  

Non-NIRMS goods are goods that are not moving under NIRMS. For example, goods that are moving under:

  • Northern Ireland Plant Health Label (NIPHL) rules
  • official control regulation rules
  • general import rules

If you are moving NIRMS and non-NIRMS goods together, you do not need to complete a full packing list for the non-NIRMS goods. You only need to add a short product description for non-NIRMS goods and mark them as ‘non-NIRMS’. It is optional to add the country of origin.

You can complete a packing list for non-NIRMS products if you want to. You must clearly separate non-NIRMS goods on the packing list. For example, you can separate non-NIRMS products by creating a:  

  • separate tab on the spreadsheet  

  • separate table on the document  

  • separate column that states if the goods are NIRMS or non-NIRMs 

You must follow the relevant rules that non-NIRMS goods are moving under.

What to include in the NIRMS packing list  

Add the following information about the product to the packing list.

You do not need to include information about the packaging.

Description of the retail goods 

You must add a clear description of the retail goods. The description needs to match the product name that appears on the product packaging, where possible.  

You must make the description clear enough that an inspector can look at the packing list to identify the product and the product category.

For example, ‘own-brand chicken nuggets (12 pack)’ or ‘loose gala apples’.  

Nature of product

You must describe how the product is stored, for example ambient, chilled or frozen. 

Food contact materials

Check if your product is a food contact material.

If your product is a food contact material, you must add ‘FCM’ for the nature of product.

If your packaging is made of food contact material, you do not need to add ‘FCM’. You must add the nature of the product itself.  

Type of treatment 

You must add ‘processed’ if any action has been taken that substantially changes the original product. If no treatment has been applied to the goods, you must add ‘raw’ or ‘unprocessed’.  

The establishment of dispatch in Great Britain

Add the Retail Movement Scheme number of the establishment in Great Britain that the goods are being dispatched from. For example, RMS-GB-000000-999.

You must only add one Retail Movement Scheme number.   

Number of packages 

Add how many packages of each product there are, in numbers. A package could be a box, crate or pallet.  

 Net weight 

Give the total net weight for each product on the packing list in kilograms.

For example, if you are moving 6 boxes of biscuits, you need to add the net weight of all 6 boxes together.  

Country of origin 

You must add the country of origin to the packing list in the form of an International Organization for Standardisation (ISO) code, including for products that are food contact materials.

You do not need to add the country of origin for:  

  • products that do not move under sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) rules and are listed under in the products that do not need country of origin section

  • non-NIRMS products

The requirements for the rules of origin are different for customs purposes. 

Products that do not need country of origin 

You do not need to add the country of origin for shelf stable composite products like:  

  • confectionery including sweets, white chocolate not containing cocoa, chocolate and other food preparations, spreads, and preparations for making drinks containing cocoa  

  • pasta, noodles and couscous — excluding those mixed or filled with meat products, for example, meat-filled pasta

  • prepared foods made by swelling or roasting cereals or cereal products 

  • prepared foods made from unroasted cereal flakes or from mixtures of unroasted cereal flakes and roasted cereal flakes

  • bread, cakes, biscuits, waffles and wafers, rusks, toasted bread and similar toasted products, chips and crisps  

  • olives stuffed with fish  

  • extracts, essences and concentrates of coffee, tea or maté and preparations with a basis of any of these products  

  • roasted chicory and other roasted coffee substitutes, including extracts, essences and concentrates of these products  

  • soup stocks and flavourings packaged for the final consumer

  • food supplements that are packaged for the final consumer and contain small (in total less than 20%) amounts of animal products or glucosamine, chondroitin or chitosan  

  • liqueurs and cordials 

You do not need to add the country of origin for : 

  • processed or canned fruit and vegetables (including fruit juices)        

  • frozen peas  

  • dried herbs and spices  

  • flavourings  

  • plant-based milks such as oat, almond and soy milk  

  • jam  

  • peanut butter  

  • maple syrup and other syrups  

  • olive oil  

  • vinegar  

  • tomato ketchup or other fruit and vegetable condiments  

  • jars of pasta sauce  

  • nuts and seeds  

  • popcorn, crackers and crisps  

  • tomato soup  

  • frozen chips  

  • tea bags, dried tea leaves and coffee  

  • cereals  

  • flour  

  • rice  

  • natural sugar  

  • wine  

  • soft drinks  

  • beer and cider   

  • spring water, mineral water and other bottled waters  

You do not need to add the country of origin for deregulated fruits, such as: 

  • pineapples  

  • bananas  

  • coconuts  

  • dates  

  • durians  

Country of origin for products of animal origin (POAO) and plant products 

For POAO and plant products moving under NIRMS, add the country of origin as: 

  • ‘GB’ for products produced and packaged in Great Britain 

  • ‘GB’ for products that are produced in rest of world countries but processed and packaged in Great Britain 

  • the EU country for products produced and packaged in an EU country 

  • the EU country for products that are produced in countries in the rest of the world and then processed and packaged in the EU, or imported into the EU 

  • the rest of the world country for products that are produced and packaged in a country outside of Great Britain and the EU 

Definition of processing for POAO 

For POAO, ‘processed’ means processing that substantially changes the initial product.

This could be by:

  • heating
  • smoking
  • curing
  • maturing
  • drying
  • marinating
  • extraction
  • extrusion
  • a combination of these processes

This is not a complete list.

Slicing, grating or repackaging of animal products is not defined as ‘processed’ for POAO. 

Definition of processing for plant products 

For plant products, ‘processed’ means that the initial product has been changed.  This could be by peeling, slicing, heating or using other manufacturing practices. 

Multiple country of origins  

If a processed POAO contains products from multiple countries, the country of origin would be the country in which it is processed into a single product. 

If your unprocessed POAO comes from multiple countries of origin, like unprocessed minced beef from multiple countries, add all of the country of origins separated by commas.  

For fresh fruit, vegetables, cut flowers and foliage from multiple countries, add all of the relevant countries of origin separated by commas. 

Goods from the rest of the world

You must make a declaration on the additional document which states that goods from the rest of the world that need to have SPS checks either:  

  • passed checks at an EU border control post 

  • are products where the UK is taking the same approach as the EU to protect against similar pests and diseases 

The competent authority may ask you to provide evidence of this at a later time.   

Products where the UK is taking the same approach as the EU

The UK is taking the same approach as the EU for the following meat products: 

  • fresh, chilled or frozen New Zealand lamb
  • pet food and dog chews 

The UK is taking the same approach as the EU for the following fresh vegetables: 

  • onions
  • shallots
  • garlic
  • cauliflowers
  • broccoli
  • peas
  • beans
  • peppers
  • pumpkins
  • squash and gourds
  • sweetcorn
  • sweet potatoes
  • asparagus 

The UK is taking the same approach as the EU for the following fresh fruit:

  • tomatoes
  • avocados
  • grapes
  • melons
  • watermelons
  • apples
  • pears
  • strawberries
  • raspberries
  • blackberries
  • mulberries
  • loganberries
  • blueberries
  • cranberries
  • lychee
  • dragon fruit
  • figs 
  • ginger 

The UK is taking the same approach as the EU for the following cut flowers:

  • chrysanthemum
  • lilies
  • carnations
  • alstroemeria
  • tulips
  • sunflowers
  • gypsophila
  • protea
  • brassica     

The UK is taking the same approach as the EU for the following cut herbs:

  • cut chives
  • lemongrass
  • tarragon
  • parsley
  • dill
  • thyme
  • mint
  • coriander
  • rosemary
  • turmeric
  • sage
  • basil

Commodity codes

You can add commodity codes or tariff codes (which are 8 numbers) to the packing list, but you do not have to. Tariff codes, which are also known as harmonized system codes, are used by customs authorities around the world.  

 After you have completed the general certificate and the additional document 

Once you have completed and submitted the general certificate, you will need to upload the additional document (packing list) and confirm that the consignment meets the scheme rules.

You’ll be able to view the status of your application in the export health certificate online portal.  

 The recipient in Northern Ireland needs to notify DAERA of the incoming goods:  

  • before the consignment enters the port of departure in Great Britain

  • at least 4 hours before the consignment arrives in Northern Ireland  

You do this by submitting a CHED and attaching the general certificate and packing list. 

There is a clone feature in DAERA’s CHOP system, that helps you to fill out the CHED with the information you have given on the general certificate. 

Sealing consignments  

The responsible person listed under the scheme must supervise the sealing of each consignment with a seal.

Traders can buy seals, but they must meet the UK standards for customs seals.

The seal must have a unique identifier with an associated number. You must include the seal number in the general certificate for that consignment. 

Your consignment may be delayed if: 

  • you do not apply the seal correctly 

  • the seal number does not match the number on the general certificate 

Sealing mixed consignments  

Vehicles or loads that contain a mix of goods moved under NIRMS and goods moved under official controls regulations will need to meet the sealing requirements for both routes.

Find out how to move mixed consignments.

Channelling  

The establishment in Northern Ireland must tell DAERA within 48 hours of the goods arriving at their establishment, through the CHOP system and include a photograph of the unbroken seal. DAERA will complete any channelling procedures.

Compliance  

Document checks  

DAERA will complete document checks on the general certificate and CHED using the CHED Inspection Platform. 

The competent authorities in Great Britain and Northern Ireland may ask you to provide additional evidence to show that the goods you are moving under NIRMS meet the requirements.

For example, the competent authorities may ask you for documents to show that goods which originated from countries in the rest of world have successfully passed checks at an EU border control post.

You must provide a validated CHED from the EU border control post and the related export health certificate within 72 hours.    

Physical checks  

There will be no routine or set physical checks.

Interventions will be based only on risk and intelligence decisions made by competent authorities to deal with:

  • smuggling
  • criminality
  • abuse
  • specific risks to animal, plant or public health 

Identity checks  

DAERA inspectors at Northern Ireland points of entry will make a decision on whether any identity procedures are required.

DAERA will do identity checks on 10% of NIRMS consignments, based on risk and intelligence. These goods can only be sold in a NIRMS listed establishment in Northern Ireland.  

DAERA will email operators that are responsible for the consignment to tell them if their consignment has been selected for inspection.

If drivers are using the goods vehicle movement service, they should check if you need to report for an inspection to see if their goods are held.

Updates to this page

Published 28 July 2023
Last updated 21 February 2025 + show all updates

  1. The information about general certificates and packing list requirements has been updated.

  2. Out of date information about STAMNI has been removed.

  3. Businesses can now register for the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme (NIRMS) to move certain goods to Northern Ireland.

  4. First published.

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