Export food, drink and agricultural products

You may need a certificate or to follow special rules to export:

• processed food and drinks, including flour and spices
• meat, fish, dairy and other animal products like honey and gelatine
• vegetables, fruit and other plants used as food
• grain (outside the EU only)
• sugar and rice (outside the EU only)

You can check each country’s rules by talking to your importer or getting help researching your export market.

There’s a ban on most food exports to Russia. Contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) Centre for International Trade Carlisle for details.

Processed food and drinks: current rules

Within the EU, you don’t need a certificate or to follow special rules to move processed foods or drinks.

Outside the EU, check with the food authority in the country you’re exporting to. They’ll tell you if you need ‘certificates of free sale’ (and which type), or any other types of export certification.

If you export any soft drinks with added sugar, you may need to register for the Soft Drinks Industry Levy. You can claim a credit for any exported drinks you pay the levy on.

If your food or drink contains animal products, also check if you need an export health certificate. This is only required in special cases.

There’s a ban on exporting caviar, caviar substitutes, truffles and goods containing truffles to North Korea.

Apply for a certificate of free sale

Save a copy of the application form (MS Word Document, 128KB) to your computer. Fill in all relevant parts, then email it to trader@rpa.gov.uk

Valid forms are processed within 5 working days of receiving them. You should allow 10 working days from sending your application to receiving your certificate(s) back.

It’s free to apply and the certificates do not expire (unless the country you’re exporting to specifies a time limit).

If you need help

Contact the Rural Payments Agency (RPA).

Rural Payments Agency

Telephone: 03300 416 500

Monday to Friday: 8:30am to 5pm

Find out about call charges.

Getting another type of export certification

Some countries require another type of export certificate for certain products.

If your product was made in the UK, you check with the food safety team in the local authority where your product was manufactured.

Meat, fish, dairy and other animal products: current rules

You need to follow special rules to export animal products that will be used as food, for example:

• frozen or fresh meat and fish
• dairy products
• honey
• gelatine, lard or blood

What you need to do depends on if you’re exporting within the EU or outside the EU.

Within the EU

You need to create a commercial document for animal products that will be eaten by humans.

It should include:

• the content of the consignment
• your contact details
• the business or person you’re sending your goods to

Once you’ve completed it, attach it to your consignment.

Outside the EU

You will usually need to complete an export health certificate (EHC) and some supporting documents to be able to export your product.

The EHC is an official document that confirms your export meets the health requirements of the destination country.

An official vet or inspector will check that your export meets the health requirements of the destination country. They’ll complete and sign the certificate, and give it to you.

Find out how to apply for an EHC and download the forms.

Use the most up to date EHC

EHCs are sometimes updated when export agreements are changed so make sure you are using the latest version of a certificate. The EHC form finder will always have the latest version.

Out of date forms will be rejected and cause delays to your exports.

You can sign up for alerts on the form finder to get an email when a form is updated.

Vegetables, fruit and other plants used as food: current rules

What you need to do depends on if you’re exporting within the EU or outside the EU.

Within the EU

CheckYou if your fruit (PDF, 97.2KB, 1 page) or vegetables (PDF, 157KB, 1 page) need a supplier document.

If you need a supplier document, contact the Plant Health Office to apply.

If you don’t need one, you don’t have to do anything to move plants used as food within the EU. But you always have to comply with the normal standards to sell fresh fruit and vegetables.

Outside the EU

Most countries require you to have a health certificate (‘phytosanitary certificate’) if you export fruit, vegetables or other plants to be used as food.

Check with the country that you’re exporting to if you need a certificate.

There are different rules for grain.

Apply for a plant health certificate

You usually must apply for your plants to be inspected or tested before you get a plant health certificate.

Apply by filling in the appropriate form for:

• potatoes (PDF, 185KB, 3 pages)

• other plants, including fruit and vegetables (PDF, 83.2KB, 2 pages)

• plants from outside the EU that were stored, repacked or split up (PDF, 681KB, 2 pages)

Return the completed form to your local APHA office.

If your plants pass testing, you’ll get your certificate in 7 days.

You can contact APHA to check whether you:

• you need a soil inspection for the plants you’re exporting - use the soil inspection form if you do
• do.

  You can also check the import requirements for the country you plan to export to. You may need to wash soil from the roots of the plants you export - the USA, New Zealand and some other countries require this

this.

Fees

The fees for export inspections ischange £70.76,on 1 October 2019.

The fees are £63.80, with a minimum fee of £141.52.£127.60.

FeesThe fees for the audit of a grain inspection are charged£26.40, forwith everya quarterminimum fee of an£52.80.

The hourfees orare payable for each 15 minutes (or part ofthereof) thatspent timein thatcarrying anout the inspection and any associated activitiesactivities. takes,These includingassociated activities include the time it takes inspectors to travel to your site.site and any administration relevant to that inspection, subject to the minimum fees.

TheAn additional fee toof issue£15.76 is charged if you submit an application for an export in paper form rather than online.

Issue of a phytosanitary certificate fee is £22.59£25.52 per certificate.

TheLaboratory fee for a laboratory examination fee is £30.76£33.56 per sample tested.

Reduced

Amendment feesof fora smallcertificate businessesat the request of an exporter is £15.76.

Reduced fees

You can apply for a 50% discount (PDF, 219KB231KB, 1 page) for the first £500£1500 of APHA services in a financial year if either of the following apply:

• you’re not registered for VAT
• your certified exports were worth less than £5,000 in the last financial year

GrainGrain: current rules

The table lists countries known to require a plant health certificate and whether an import permit or any further testing is required.

Additional countries where there has been no recent trade in grain may also require a certificate and you should check with APHA phastplantproducts@apha.gsi.gov.ukphastplantproducts@apha.gov.uk before sending consignments.

You do not need a plant health certificate to send grain to the EU.

Country of destination	Import permit required	Phytosanitary certificate required	Testing required for prohibited plants pests and diseases	Testing required for prohibited weed and parasitic plants	Orobanche testing required
Algeria	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Bangladesh	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No
Cameroon	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
China (Barley)	Yes	Yes	No (see Article 3 above	Yes	No
China (ex. Barley)	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No
Ghana	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Japan	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Mauritania	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Morocco	No	Yes	No	No	No
Russia	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Saudi Arabia	No	Yes	No	No	No
Suriname	No	Yes	No	No	No
Syria	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Taiwan	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No
Thailand	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Tunisia	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Turkey	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
UAE	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
USA	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes

Apply for a plant health certificate for grain

If a plant health certificate is required, you should complete the first 3 sections of the plant health certificate application form (PDF, 193KB, 2 pages) and return to APHA phastplantproducts@apha.gsi.gov.ukphastplantproducts@apha.gov.uk at least 5 working days before loading to ship.

If an import permit is also required, you should obtain this from the country you are exporting to and forward a copy to APHA with your application.

Contact the port you are exporting from to arrange for an authorised trade inspector. The inspector will examine the grain being loaded to ship and take/submit any samples required for testing.

If specified grain pests are identified in the loaded grain, then you will have to arrange for the grain to be treated by a professional company.

When all the grain has been inspected and loaded, you should complete the remaining sections of the plant health certificate application form (PDF, 193KB, 2 pages) and return to APHA to issue the certificate.

More detailed guidance about phytosanitary certification of grain for export can be found in the guidance notes GSOP1 (PDF, 944KB, 11 pages) .

Sugar and rice: current rules

You don’t need a certificate or licence to export within the EU.

If you’re exporting these goods outside the EU, you need an export licence.

Apply for a mandatory export licence

You need to get a trader registration number from the Rural Payments Agency (RPA).

Ask them if there is a security deposit to pay on your goods and how much it will be.

Fill in the mandatory export licence application form (MS Word Document, 359KB) .

Your licence will be issued through the CHIEF system. You can also ask for a paper licence if the countries you’re trading with require this.

You can email your licence application to RPA or send it by fax or post. If you want to email it, you need to apply for approval. Complete and return a Licensing - Submission/Notification of emails (form il3) (MS Word DocumentPDF, 330KB195KB, 1 page) before submitting your licence application.

If you’d like to cancel or amend your application, you must do this before midday on the day you apply.

Getting your security deposit back

Your security will be refunded in full if you export at least 95% of the quantity on the licence. A paper licence must be returned within 60 days of its expiry date. The security will be released automatically if you used the CHIEF system to export the goods.

If you need help

Contact RPA if you need help.

RPA external trade helpline

Telephone: 03300 416500

Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm