Import animal products for human consumption to Great Britain
Source: gov.uk (2025-04-22)

Guidance for businesses that import meat, dairy, eggs and animal products for human consumption. Check import rules, restrictions and what documents you need.

Products covered by this guidance

This guidance explains the import rules for any food and drink that contains products of animal origin (POAO). It covers imports from EU and non-EU countries.

Products of animal origin include:
- meat
- eggs
- dairy
- honey
- gelatine
Follow different guidance to import fish for human consumption (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/importing-or-moving-fish-to-the-uk).

Products with multiple ingredients

If your product contains multiple ingredients, you need to find out if it’s a composite or compound product and follow additional guidance.

Composite products contain processed animal products and plant products that are integral to the product. For example, a lasagne containing mince meat, tomato sauce and wheat pasta.

Compound products contain more than one animal product, which can be processed or unprocessed. For example, sausages containing cheese.

Read additional import guidance for:
- compound products (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/import-compound-products-from-the-eu-to-great-britain)
- composite products (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/import-or-move-composite-products-from-the-eu-and-northern-ireland-to-great-britain)
Imports by post or courier

The same rules apply to goods imported for commercial purposes by post or courier.

Check if your import is permitted

You can only import animal products to Great Britain from approved establishments and from approved countries.
- Check the list of approved countries (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/exporting-to-great-britain-approved-countries-for-animals-and-animal-products) to see if there are restrictions on your import due to a disease outbreak.
- Check that your supplier is on the list relevant list of approved establishments (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/exporting-to-the-uk-countries-and-establishments-approved-to-export-animals-and-animal-products).
Check import conditions

Import information notes explain the specific import conditions for each product type (meat and meat products, for example). They contain guidance for importers, vets and border control officials.
- Read the general import information note for products of animal origin (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/general-information-for-imports-of-products-of-animal-origin-poao-for-human-consumption-iin-gen2).
- Find the specific import information note for your product (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/animal-products-for-human-consumption-import-information-notes).
Documents required

All POAO are either low or medium risk. You need to check the risk category (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/risk-categories-for-animal-and-animal-product-imports-to-great-britain) of each commodity you wish to import, to find out which documents you need.

Medium risk imports: required documents

Medium risk imports need a health certificate.

The health certificate must be issued in the country where the product was last exported, processed or checked.

This might be:
- the country of origin
- the country where the product was last processed
- the country where health controls were last completed and the product was despatched from
The health certificate will tell you if you also need an official importer declaration.

If there is not a health certificate available, you may need an import licence or authorisation.

Low risk imports: required documents

For low risk POAO imports:
- you need a commercial document
- you do not need a health certificate
- you may need an import licence or authorisation
Health certificates

The exporter must apply for the GB health certificate in their own country. Competent authorities (for example, governments) should use model health certificates (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/health-certificates-for-animal-and-animal-product-imports-to-great-britain) to create certificates that exporters can apply for.

If the exporter creates a GB health certificate using a system approved to produce verifiable PDF certificates (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/countries-great-britain-will-accept-validated-pdf-gb-health-certificates-from), they do not need to send the original certificate with the consignment. They must send you the certificate once it is signed by the competent authority.

If the exporter cannot 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.

Import licences

You may need an import licence or authorisation to import your POAO if there’s no health certificate for your product.

In some cases, you may need an import licence as well as a health certificate.

Check the list of general licences (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/importing-live-animals-or-animal-products-from-non-eu-countries-general-licences-and-authorisations) to see if the licence you need already exists, and what you should do if it’s not on the list.

Commercial documents for low risk products – what exporters should include

Low risk imports of POAO must travel with a commercial document. Your exporter must complete this document and include:
- description of what’s in the consignment, for example ‘cooked meat’
- volume or quantity information, or a copy of the food label
- name of the person or organisation who sent it
- name of the person or organisation it’s being sent to
- address of the premises of origin
- address of the destination premises
- reference identifying the lot, batch or consignment
- date the consignment was sent
- name and address of the transporter and details on how the consignment will be transported
Notify authorities in Great Britain (IPAFFS notifications)

You must submit an import notification on IPAFFS (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/import-of-products-animals-food-and-feed-system) to notify authorities in Great Britain about your import. This is also known as a common health entry document (CHED).

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

When you submit your import notification in IPAFFS, you’ll get a notification reference number, sometimes called a unique notification number (UNN) for the product. The format of this number will be CHEDP.GB.YYYY.XXXXXXX.

The reference number does not need to be added to the health certificate.

Find out how to register to use the IPAFFS service (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/import-of-products-animals-food-and-feed-system).

Choose the correct country of origin

For ‘country of origin’, you must select the country where the health certificate was issued.

For example, if your import is from Canada but was checked and given a health certificate in the Netherlands, you should select Netherlands as the country of origin.

You must also select the ‘country from where consigned’. This may be different to the country of origin.

Add information about the business you’re importing from

Follow these steps to add the approved business:
- Sign in or register to use IPAFFS (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/import-of-products-animals-food-and-feed-system).
- On the ‘Traders addresses’ page, select ‘Add a place of origin’, then select ‘Create a new place of origin’.
- In the ‘Place of origin name’ field, enter the full name of the exporting business, then its authorisation number.
- In the ‘Place of origin’ fields, enter the full address, telephone number, country and email address for the business.
- Save these details – they will be saved to your address book so that you can use them again.
- Add the approved business to your import notification.
If the goods have come from more than one approved business, add other businesses in ‘additional details’.

Import notifications if there’s a new or emerging disease outbreak

If safeguard measures are in place because of a new or emerging disease and there is no commodity code for your food or drink, you should:
- Download and fill in the import notification form for POAO under safeguard measures (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/import-notification-for-products-of-animal-origin-under-safeguard-measures-iv70). Email it to the APHA imports team at xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx). Use the email subject: ‘Urgent – POAO safeguarding UNN required’.
- APHA will give you a UNN. Give this to the exporter or official veterinarian (OV) to add to the health certificate.
- The exporter will give you an electronic copy of the health certificate.
- Email the completed form and health certificate to APHA at xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx). Include the UNN in the email subject heading. For example: ‘Import notification – POAO under safeguard measures CHEDP.GB.YYYY.XXXXXXX’.
- APHA will email you an updated form with the UNN and the health certificate.
Import products made of more than one commodity type

If you are importing a product that contains different commodity types with different import requirements, you need to submit separate import notifications on IPAFFS for each commodity type. Commodity types include plant products, high risk food and feed of non-animal origin (HRFNAO), and animal products.

For example, if your product contains HRFNAO and animal products, you need to:
- submit a CHED.D for the HRFNAO
- submit a CHED.P for the animal product
You should include both CHED reference numbers in the commercial documentation uploaded to each import notification. For example, you need to:
- add the CHED.P reference number to the commercial documentation on the CHED.D notification
- add the CHED.D reference number to the commercial documentation on the CHED.P
For all types of CHED, the reference number should be entered in the field labelled ‘data element (DE) 2/3’ on the Customs Declaration Service (CDS). You should write the CHED reference number in the following format on your customs declaration – GBCHDyyyy.nnnnnnn. For example, the product containing HRFNAO and animal products would be declared using document code:
- C678 for the CHED-D, followed by the CHED reference number
- N853 for the CHED-P, followed by the CHED reference number
If any CHED reference numbers are missing, your products may be held until this is resolved. Find more guidance on how to enter data into CDS (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/importing-sps-controlled-goods-that-interact-with-alvs).

Get help

If you need technical support with IPAFFS:
- call the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) helpline on xx-xxxx-xxxx
- email xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx)
If you need help to complete import notifications, contact the Port Health Authority at your nominated border control post.

Checks at the UK border

There may be checks at the border on POAO imports, unless they are from Ireland.

You must present your consignment at the border control post (BCP) (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-border-control-posts-animal-and-animal-product-imports) if it is called for sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sanitary-and-phytosanitary-sps-checks-at-border-control-posts-bcps).

All goods must enter Great Britain through a point of entry that has a relevant BCP.

Goods moving directly from the Republic of Ireland can also enter England through Heysham and they can enter Wales through any named point of entry.

There are separate border rules for qualifying Northern Ireland goods (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/moving-qualifying-goods-from-northern-ireland-to-the-rest-of-the-uk).

Checks at airports

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.

Checks at ports

If you’re importing the goods through a port, you’ll find out if you need checks either through the IPAFFS system or the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS) (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/register-for-the-goods-vehicle-movement-service).

If your transporter is using GVMS to clear customs, they should use the check if you need to report for an inspection service (https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/driver-inspection-notification/start) to find out.

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

If IPAFFS says your consignment does not need checks, you should continue to check for messages until your consignment has cleared the port. This is because the authorities may still call you for checks based on their final risk assessment.

Read separate guidance if you’re transiting goods through Great Britain (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-you-can-use-transit-to-move-goods-to-the-eu-and-common-transit-countries) under the Common Transit Convention.

Find out what happens at BCPs (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sanitary-and-phytosanitary-sps-checks-at-border-control-posts-bcps).

Import minced meats, meat preparations or MSM

EU countries can export the following products as chilled goods:
- chilled minced meats of beef, pork, sheep, goat and poultry
- chilled meat preparations
- chilled mechanically separated meat (MSM) of pork and poultry
These products must:
- be chilled to an internal temperature of no more than +4°C
- meet the conditions on the health certificate
- follow the meat hygiene and labelling rules in Great Britain
Some other countries can also export these chilled products to Great Britain:
- Greenland
- Iceland
- Liechtenstein
- Norway
- Switzerland
- the Faroe Islands
All other countries, if approved to export minced meat, must deep freeze it to -18°C.

Move products from Northern Ireland to Great Britain

You can move products from Northern Ireland to Great Britain if they’re qualifying Northern Ireland goods (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/moving-qualifying-goods-from-northern-ireland-to-the-rest-of-the-uk).

You should contact the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) (http://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/) if you’re moving POAO under safeguard measures from Northern Ireland to Great Britain.

Get help

Contact APHA’s imports team (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/contact-apha#customer-service-centres-csc) if you’re not sure about anything.

If you need help with your customs declaration, contact HMRC (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs/contact/customs-international-trade-and-excise-enquiries) for help.