Importing Fruit and Vegetables 2021 UK Guidance

by
Agriculture & FoodUK Post-Exit Guidance Notes [2020]

Importing fruit and vegetables from the EU to the UK

If you import EU fruit and vegetables into the UK, marketing standards processes at UK borders will not change in the short term from 1 January 2021.

If you import fresh fruit and vegetables that originate within the EU, or third country goods which have cleared customs in the EU, you will not need to apply for a UK-issued certificate of conformity ahead of them arriving into the UK.

To ensure that EU fruits and vegetables entering the UK market are of high quality and comply with UK marketing standards, additional compliance checks will be carried out by:

  • Horticultural inspectors (Horticultural Marketing Inspectorate (HMI) in England and Wales
  • Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture(SASA) in Scotland
  • the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland)

They will not carry out marketing standards checks at the border.

The Canary Islands, Guadeloupe and Martinique are classed as EU countries for the purposes of fruit and vegetables marketing standards inspections.

Green bananas

If you import green bananas from the EU, a different process applies. Contact:

  • the PEACH (Procedure for Electronic Application for Certificates) Helpdesk on 0345 607 3224 if you’re importing to England and Wales
  • SASA Horticulture and Marketing Unit on hort.marketing@gov.scot if you’re importing to Scotland

Importing to the UK via a non-EU (third) country

Horticultural inspectors will continue to assess fruit and vegetables travelling in transit from third countries through the EU to the UK to:

  • determine whether an inspection is required at the border
  • ensure that they comply with the UK’s marketing standards

For produce regulated by both marketing standards and plant health regulations, checks may be carried out by both HMI and the Plant Health and Seed Inspectorate (PHSI) (for England and Wales only). In some cases, PHSI checks will be carried out at inland plant health facilities. In Scotland, all inspections are carried out by SASA.

Marketing standards checks will continue to be carried out at the border. If produce is regulated by both marketing standards and plant health, multiple inspections will only be carried out for imports to the UK that are assessed as being very high risk. Very high risk goods include imports that meet the “high risk” criteria and originate from high risk countries. The UK government will work with you to avoid unnecessary delays.

The UK will continue to accept certificates of conformity issued by countries in the Approved Inspection Scheme (AIS). Most imports from countries on the AIS scheme will not require routine marketing standards checks, but a small sample will be randomly selected for inspections.

Produce from businesses on the Approved Trader Scheme (ATS) will be classified as low risk and will not usually require marketing standards checks.

Imports and exports between the UK and non-EU countries

There will be no changes to existing UK marketing standards processes for:

  • importing fruit and vegetables directly from non-EU (third) countries to the UK
  • exporting fruit and vegetables directly from the UK to non-EU third countries

Exporting fruit and vegetables from the UK to the EU from 1 January 2021

You can prepare to comply with EU and UK marketing standards regulations if you export fruit and vegetables to the EU.

Fruit and vegetables subject to Specific Marketing Standards (SMS)

Fruit and vegetables subject to SMS include:

  • apples
  • citrus fruit (lemons, oranges, clementines, mandarins, satsumas and their hybrids)
  • kiwi fruit
  • peaches and nectarines
  • pears
  • strawberries
  • table grapes
  • lettuces (including curly and broad-leaved endives)
  • sweet peppers
  • tomatoes

If you export these products from the UK to EU or non-EU (third) countries, you’ll need to apply for a UK-issued certificate of conformity for your produce to clear UK customs. You can do this by:

For exports from the UK to the EU, you may also need a certificate of conformity issued by EU inspection agencies as the EU may not accept UK-issued certificates from 1 January 2021. The UK government is working with the EU to simplify these processes, but you should get both UK and EU-issued certificates of conformity before 1 January 2021.

How you apply for an EU-issued certificate of conformity varies for each EU member state. You’ll need to contact the appropriate authority at the destination country for guidance on applying for a certificate.

If you import fruit and vegetables into the UK from a non-EU country and a proportion of your consignment is re-exported to the EU, your consignment will need to undergo both import and export processes.

Fruit and vegetables subject to General Marketing Standards (GMS)

If you export fruit and vegetables subject to GMS you will not need a certificate of conformity for your produce to clear UK customs.

Some EU countries may require a certificate of conformity for some produce subject to GMS. Contact the appropriate authority at the destination country to find out:

  • whether your produce will require a certificate of conformity
  • how to get a certificate
Published 15 March 2019
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