Guidance
Export or move livestock and poultry
Rules you need to follow to export cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and poultry.

Published 11 November 2016
Last updated 31 December 2020 — see all updates
From:
Animal and Plant Health Agency
Contents
General exporting rules
Register for the poultry health scheme
Quarantine rules for livestock and poultry
Export or move livestock or poultry to the EU or NI
Documents to transport livestock or poultry
Export to non-EU countries
Welfare standards for transporting livestock and poultry
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This guidance applies to businesses in Great Britain (GB) (England, Scotland and Wales) exporting or moving livestock (sheep, cattle, pigs and goats) or poultry to, or through:

the EU
non-EU countries
Northern Ireland (NI)
You need an export health certificate (EHC) to export livestock and poultry.

Follow the rules in this guidance to find out what you need to do.

You need to follow different guidance for:

pets
horses
fish
endangered animals
animals that are for display, research or conservation (‘Balai directive’ animals)
other live animals
Some countries have their own import rules for livestock and poultry. You can check by talking to your importer or getting help researching your export market.

General exporting rules
Make sure you follow guidance for changes to exporting to the EU.

Register for the poultry health scheme
You must be a member of the Poultry Health Scheme to export poultry:

to the EU or NI (unless you’re exporting 20 birds or hatching eggs or less)
to non EU countries – your EHC will say if you need to join the scheme
Find out how to register for the poultry health scheme.

Quarantine rules for livestock and poultry
Check the EHC you’re applying for to find out how long livestock or poultry must be held at the premises of origin before export to a non-EU country.

Cattle, sheep and pigs must be held at the premises of origin for 40 days before you export or move them to the EU or NI.

Export or move livestock or poultry to the EU or NI
You need an EHC to:

export livestock or poultry from GB to the EU
move livestock or poultry from GB to Northern Ireland (NI)
transit through the EU and NI
You also need to:

get your goods checked at an EU border control post (BCP) or NI point of entry in the first country you enter
make sure your EU or NI-based import agent has notified the BCP or NI point of entry that your consignment is arriving – check with the BCP or NI point of entry for how much notice needs to be given
comply with wider HMRC guidance on customs requirements for exporting to the EU
follow HMRC guidance for moving goods from GB to NI
follow rules on identifying animals, if you want to export or move them to the EU or NI
Check if you need an EHC
Check the EHC finder to see if a certificate exists for your animal.

If you find an EHC, follow the EHC process to export.

If you cannot find an EHC, you’ll need to contact the competent authority in NI or the EU country you’re exporting to, in advance, to find out what:

paperwork you’ll need to fill in
rules you need to comply with
The competent authority means the equivalent of the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in the EU country you’re exporting to. DAERA is the competent authority in NI.

If the competent authority says that you need an EHC, you’ll need to get their import conditions. Email the conditions to APHA at exports@apha.gov.uk who’ll arrange an EHC for you.

If you’re moving livestock or poultry to NI, you do not need to pay for them to be inspected and certified. The certifier invoices the government for these costs as part of the Movement Assistance Scheme.

Checks at EU BCPs or point(s) of entry in NI
You must get your livestock or poultry checked at an EU Border Control Post (BCP) or point of entry in NI.

These checks are made to protect:

animal health and welfare
public health
Your livestock or poultry may be refused entry, seized, destroyed or returned to GB if they arrive at:

a port in the EU without a BCP where checks cannot be carried out
an EU BCP that cannot check your type of animal
an EU BCP without the correct documentation
Find the correct BCP for your goods
You must find a BCP that accepts livestock or poultry as not all BCPs accept all goods. You’ll need to consider how to redirect your trade route if needed.

There are more than 400 BCPs in the EU and they’re usually at EU ports and airports.

The most frequently used are:

Belgium BCPs
France BCPs
Germany BCPs
Netherlands BCPs
Portugal BCPs
Spain BCPs
You can check the full list of EU BCPs.

Give advance notice to EU BCPs or point(s) of entry in NI
You’ll need to give EU BCPs or points of entry in NI advance notice of livestock or poultry arriving.

Check with the BCP or point of entry you’re planning to use for how much notice is needed.

Contact your import agent in the EU or NI to make sure they notify the BCP through the Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES) of the arrival of the consignment.

They must do this within the time limits set out by the BCP or point of entry.

If your livestock or poultry fail inspection at a BCP
If your livestock or poultry fail inspection because of risks to animal or public health, they will be destroyed immediately. If the goods fail for other reasons, the BCP will:

notify your importer or agent
ask them to decide whether your goods should be destroyed or returned to the UK
The BCP will not usually contact you directly.

Rejected livestock or poultry from 1 January to 30 June 2021
From 1 January to 30 June 2021, livestock or poultry rejected at EU BCPs may, subject to a risk assessment, re-enter GB through any point of entry.

Rejected goods are consignments rejected by the competent authority in an EU country. Consignments rejected for commercial reasons cannot be returned as rejected goods.

There are certain documentary requirements to return rejected goods to GB from the EU. The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) will notify you if the returned consignment needs to enter through a BCP or can enter through any point of entry.

Document requirements for rejected livestock or poultry from 1 January
To return a consignment, submit an import notification on the import of products, animals, food and feed system (IPAFFS).

Attach these documents to the IPAFFS notification:

the original export certificate and related documentation
statement from the EU BCP of the reasons why the returned animals were refused by the EU BCP
statement from the EU BCP with details of the premises in which the animals were kept since leaving GB, for example in quarantine or in isolation
declaration by the person responsible for the returned animals that the import conditions relating to transport have been complied with in relation to the returned animals, such as animal welfare requirements
declaration by the person responsible for the animals that they have not been in contact with any other animal of a lesser health status since leaving GB
For the IPAFFS notification, the ‘country of origin’ is the country where the rejecting BCP is located.

Email APHA Centre for International Trade (CIT) at imports@apha.gov.uk to tell them that you’ve submitted an IPAFFS notification.

In the title of the email:

state that the message is about an IPAFFS notification for the return of a consignment include the Unique Notification Number that IPAFFS generates when the notification is submitted
APHA will assess this information to decide the conditions of import and if the consignment will have to be returned through any point of entry or a BCP
APHA will issue you with a written authorisation. The consignment cannot be returned until you have received this authorisation. You must comply with the conditions of the authorisation.

APHA will assess this information to decide the conditions of import and if the consignment will have to be returned through any point of entry or a BCP. APHA will give you authorisation. You must comply with the conditions of the authorisation.

Livestock or poultry rejected from an EU BCP from 1 July 2021
Returned live animals must enter GB at an appropriately designated BCP for checks on entry from 1 July 2021.

You must notify on IPAFFS and present the relevant documentation to the BCP as set out in the returned goods processes for live animals.

Documents to transport livestock or poultry
You need EU-issued documents to transport live animals:

direct from GB to the EU
through the EU to a non-EU country
You should apply to an EU member state where you have representation to get a:

transport authorisation
certificate of competence
vehicle approval certificate
The EU will no longer recognise UK-issued versions of these documents. You can use GB-issued transporter authorisations, certificates of competence, and vehicle approval certificates in NI.

You can use NI-issued transporter authorisations, certificates of competence, and vehicle approval certificates in GB.

Journey logs for livestock
To transport livestock from, or through, GB to the EU you’ll need to apply for 2 journey logs:

one approved by the EU member state which is the first point of entry into the EU
one approved by APHA (or DAERA, if the journey originates in NI)
For further information on documents to transport live animals, contact APHA: CITCarlisle@apha.gov.uk or DAERA.

Export to non-EU countries
You’ll usually need to complete an export health certificate (EHC) and some supporting documents to export a live animal.

Check the export health certificate (EHC) finder to see if a certificate exists for your animal or product. If you find an EHC, follow the EHC process to export.

If you cannot find an EHC for your product, you’ll need to contact the competent authority in the EU country you’re exporting to, in advance, to find out what:

paperwork you’ll need to fill in
rules you need to comply with
If the competent authority says that you need an EHC, you’ll need to get their import conditions. Email the conditions to APHA at exports@apha.gov.uk who’ll arrange an EHC for you.

Welfare standards for transporting livestock and poultry
You must make sure you meet animal welfare standards when transporting animals.

Published 11 November 2016
Last updated 31 December 2020 + show all updates