Importers of dairy, meat, eggs and fish: here’s how rules on certain produce have changed – and what you need to do

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On 1 January 2022, new requirements were introduced for importing some goods subject to Sanitary and Phytosanitary controls, such as meat or dairy, to Great Britain from the European Union.

Traders are now required to pre-notify when importing most Products of Animal Origin from the EU into Great Britain.

Businesses, or a representative acting on their behalf, importing these goods from the EU may need to pre-notify authorities that their consignment will be entering the country.

What has changed and what do I need to do?

The UK government is phasing in controls on imports of products of animal origin for human consumption that come from the EU, including meat, fish, eggs, dairy and honey.

Since 1 January 2022, traders are now required to pre-notify when importing these goods from the EU into Great Britain. This is a legal requirement.

The act of pre-notifying involves giving notice to the competent authority (often the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)) that your goods will be coming into Great Britain. This can be done on the Import of Products, Animals, Food and Feed System (IPAFFS). You can register for the IPAFFS IT System on GOV.UK.

At the moment, you don’t need to pre-notify authorities when moving these goods from the island of Ireland into the UK. There is further guidance on the GOV.UK website.

Import controls from 1 July 2022

Additional import controls will be introduced throughout 2022 for imports of Products of Animal Origin (POAO) to GB from the EU. The new requirements will be introduced by commodity in three phases between 1 July and 1 November 2022. They will apply to meat and meat products from 1 July, dairy products from 1 September and all remaining POAO, including composite products, fish products and honey, from 1 November 2022.

From 1 July 2022:

● Most Products of Animal Origin must enter GB through an established point of entry with an appropriately designated Border Control Post.

● Meat and meat products will be subject to remote documentation checks and may be subject to further identity and physical checks at the authorised Border Control Post.

● Export Health Certificates (EHC) will be required for imports of meat and meat products. It will be the responsibility of your EU exporter to provide a certified EHC.

From 1 September 2022:

● Export Health Certificates (EHC) will be required for imports of dairy products. It will be the responsibility of your EU exporter to provide a certified EHC.

● Dairy products will be subject to remote documentation checks and may be subject to further identity and physical checks at the authorised Border Control Post.

From 1 November 2022:

● Export Health Certificates will be required for imports of all remaining Products of Animal Origin, including composite products, fish products and honey. It will be the responsibility of your EU exporter to provide a certified EHC.

● All remaining Products of Animal Origin will be subject to remote documentation checks and may be subject to further identity and physical checks at the authorised Border Control Post.

There is further guidance at the GOV.UK website.

The information in this article was correct at the time of publication

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