Check import risk categories, inspection rates and related rules for animals and animal products imported from non-EU countries to Great Britain
Source: gov.uk (2025-04-01)

Import risk categories under the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) for animals or animal products you’re importing from a non-EU country to Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales), the import rules and inspection rates for each category.

To import live animals or animal products from non-EU countries into Great Britain, you need to:
- find the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-border-target-operating-model-august-2023) risk category for the commodity you’re importing
- follow the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) rules for that import risk category (#btom-rules)
The BTOM categorises live animals, germinal products, products of animal origin (POAO) and animal by-products (ABPs) as high risk, medium risk or low risk. Each category has different requirements.

This guidance applies to imports from non-EU countries only.

There is separate guidance on BTOM risk categories for imports from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/risk-categories-for-animal-and-animal-product-imports-to-great-britain).

Permitted countries

Exporting countries need approval to send animals and animal products to Great Britain. This is also referred to as having ‘market access’. See details of non-EU countries approved to export animals and animal products to Great Britain (https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/b92627b0-dd7b-4e1d-ba36-e25424f55eeb/non-eu-countries-approved-to-export-animals-and-animal-products-to-great-britain).

BTOM risk categories for non-EU countries only apply to countries that have been subject to a risk assessment. These are:
- Argentina
- Australia
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Canada
- Chile
- China
- Ecuador
- India
- Israel
- Japan
- Namibia
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Singapore
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Thailand
- Turkey
- Ukraine
- United States
- Uruguay
- Vietnam
In the documents on this page (the summary tables and spreadsheet), the phrase ‘all permitted countries’ means all countries from this list that have been approved to export a particular animal or product to Great Britain.

Other countries that have market access but have not been subject to a BTOM risk assessment will continue to follow existing import processes.

How to find the risk category for animals and animal products

You can use the 2 documents on this page to find the risk category for a commodity you’re importing.

BTOM risk categories: summary tables for non-EU imports

Use the summary tables for animal and animal product imports from non-EU countries to Great Britain (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/risk-categories-for-animal-and-animal-product-imports-from-non-eu-countries-to-great-britain/tom-risk-categories-for-animal-and-animal-product-imports-from-non-eu-countries-to-great-britain-summary-tables) to find out about BTOM risk categories for live animals, POAO and ABPs.

The tables give a summary of how different types of animals and animal products will be categorised. They do not provide the risk categories for specific commodity codes.

BTOM risk categorisation spreadsheet for non-EU imports

Use the BTOM risk categorisation spreadsheet (‘BTOM risk categories for live animals and animal products imported from non-EU countries to Great Britain: searchable list with commodity codes’) to find the risk category for a specific commodity you’re importing.

You can search using a commodity code or browse the list of commodities.

Composite products

All composite products from permitted non-EU countries will be categorised as one of the following:
- in the medium risk category
- in the low risk category, if shelf stable at ambient temperature and sterilised
- not placed in a risk category because it is exempt from official import controls
Find out if your product is a composite, and if it is exempt from import controls (https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/importing-composite-products).

Rules for each risk category

There are 3 BTOM risk categories:
- low
- medium
- high
If your consignment is in the BTOM low risk category

Use the import of products, animals, food and feed system (IPAFFS) (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/import-of-products-animals-food-and-feed-system) to notify authorities before the goods arrive in Great Britain.

You do not need a health certificate.

Your goods must enter Great Britain through a point of entry with a border control post (BCP) that is designated to check your commodity (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-border-control-posts-animal-and-animal-product-imports).

Low risk consignments are not subject to routine documentary, identity and physical checks. However, checks may still be undertaken where intelligence indicates a specific risk.

Low risk category consignments must come with a commercial document from the supplier.

If your consignment is in the BTOM medium risk category

Use IPAFFS (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/import-of-products-animals-food-and-feed-system) to notify authorities before the goods arrive in Great Britain.

Your consignment will need a health certificate (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/health-certificates-for-animal-and-animal-product-imports-to-great-britain) issued by the competent authority in the country where the goods originate.

Products in the medium risk category need to enter through a BCP and are subject to documentary, identity and physical import checks. This is explained in the section (‘Inspection rates of imported goods’).

If your consignment is in the high risk category

Use IPAFFS (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/import-of-products-animals-food-and-feed-system) to notify authorities before the goods arrive in Great Britain.

Your consignment will need a health certificate (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/health-certificates-for-animal-and-animal-product-imports-to-great-britain) issued by the competent authority in the country where the goods originate.

Most consignments in the BTOM high risk category are subject to documentary, identity and physical import checks.

Find out how to complete a health certificate to export animals and animal products to Great Britain (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-complete-a-health-certificate-for-imports-to-great-britain).

If your consignment is in the medium or high risk categories, but there is no health certificate for your goods

If a health certificate does not exist for the goods you want to import, you may need an import licence or authorisation.

Contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) Animal Imports team (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/contact-apha#animal-imports) if:
- there’s no licence or authorisation for your animal or germinal product
- you’re not sure if you need a licence or authorisation
Inspection rates of imported goods

Some imports are subject to identity (ID) checks and physical checks. The percentage of times identity and physical checks happen (the inspection rate) depends on the risk category of the commodity being imported:
- high risk commodities are inspected every time the commodity is imported (inspection rate 100%)
- medium risk commodities are inspected 1% to 30% of the time the commodity is imported - the specific inspection rate (M1, M2 or M3) depends on the commodity and country
- low risk commodities are not subject to routine inspection, but may be subject to non-routine or intelligence-led checks
These rules, as set out in the UK Official Controls Regulations (EU) 2017/625 and Regulation (EU) 2019/2129, are applicable to risk assessed countries under the BTOM.

Some imports will be subject to checks in accordance with arrangements under the Windsor Framework agreement (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/retail-movement-scheme-how-the-scheme-will-work/retail-movement-scheme-how-the-scheme-will-work) and the relevant Free Trade Agreements. BTOM inspection rates will not apply to these products:
- meat and edible offal of sheep (fresh, chilled or frozen) from New Zealand
- pet food and dog chews from all non-EU/European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries
Risk levels

Risk categorisation is a dynamic process drawing on the most current data and reflecting changes in:
- disease status
- animal and public health hazard analysis
- compliance history
- data associated with disease outbreak in the exporting country
- transmission data
- risk mitigation treatments and restrictions
- compliance data
These factors underpin risk categorisation and inspection rates (the percentage of time identity checks and physical checks will take place). Taking these factors into account, the following 3 risk levels have been introduced for medium risk commodities:
- M1: consequence of non-compliance with import conditions is likely to be manageable or acceptable (baseline inspection rate 1%)
- M2: consequences of non-compliance with import conditions, including any of the factors mentioned above, could pose a significant risk to public or animal health (baseline inspection rate between 10% and 15%)
- M3: consequence of non-compliance with import conditions is likely to pose a significant risk to biosecurity or public health (baseline inspection rate 30%)
The frequency rates of identity checks and physical checks will be determined by ministers in Great Britain and agreed by the Animal Disease Policy Group (ADPG). The frequency rates will be determined taking into account a range of factors including:
- risks to human, animal or plant health, animal welfare or the environment, associated with different types of animals and goods
- information collected by the competent authorities
- the controls already performed on the animals or goods
- history of compliance (including of the operator and exporter)
- data and information collected by computer management system
- available scientific assessments
- any other information regarding the risk associated to the categories of animals and goods
The frequency rates of identity checks and physical checks may change in response to local risk factors and factors specified in the Official Controls Regulation.

Updates to commodity risk categories

Risk factors will be reviewed regularly. Commodities may be moved into higher or lower risk categories in future to reflect changing levels of risk.

You’ll be notified in advance if there is a change to the risk category of a commodity you have imported.

Import risk categories for products from EU countries

Check the import risk categories for imports of animals and animal products from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/risk-categories-for-animal-and-animal-product-imports-to-great-britain).

Import risk categories for plants and plant products

Check the BTOM risk categories for plants and plant products imported from non-EU countries (https://planthealthportal.defra.gov.uk/trade/imports/target-operating-model-tom/btom-risk-categorisations/).

Get help

If you have any questions about notifying imports of animal products or which BTOM risk category your product is in, email the APHA imports team at xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx).

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