Exporting poultry to countries outside the EU
There are specific rules to follow when exporting poultry and hatching eggs to a country outside the EU. To prevent spreading of contagious agents there are rules for trading with animals which exporters must comply with. The rules may vary depending on the intended use of the poultry.
On this page you can find general information about the rules that apply when exporting poultry to countries outside the EU.
Exporting animals or animal products to the United Kingdom
If you plan to export animals or animal products to the United Kingdom, there are specific regulations due to Brexit and United Kingdom's withdrawal from the EU in 2020.
We collect all relevant information about trade with the United Kingdom on a dedicated page.
New rules for bringing animals or animal products to the United Kingdom
Here, you can find out what rules apply when you are bringing animals or animal products to the United Kingdom, but you must also read the general rules that apply when exporting to countries outside the EU.
As of 1 January 2021, new rules apply to trade with the United Kingdom. The ministry responsible for these rules is the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA). If you have any questions, please contact them.
The rules are described in the guide Border Operating Model.
The UK is implementing the new rules in several phases throughout 2021 and 2022. The conditions for exports to the United Kingdom may change, and it is therefore important that anyone carrying out exports stays up-to-date via the DEFRA’s website.
What you need to do as an exporter
Companies that are exporting to the UK need to, among other things:
- In collaboration with the importer, find out which certificates should accompany the consignment.
- Ensure that you have access to the web-based system Traces in order to record the details required for the certificate.
- Check that the dispatching establishment is registered or approved, and that the transporter meets applicable requirements.
- If the transport to the UK will pass through other EU Member States, you must also check what applies when exporting to other EU Member States.
- Contact an official veterinarian in good time!
Health certificates and pre-registration
The importer to the UK should pre-register live animals, breeding materials and products from animals from the EU with the UK system Import of Products, Animals, Feed and Food Systems (IPAFFS). This must be done at the latest one business day prior to the expected arrival. A health certificate must always accompany the consignment. Physical controls may be carried out.
The health certificate has been developed by UK authorities and is available in the EU computer system Traces or on DEFRA’s website. It is your responsibility as an exporter to find out which certificate must be used, and for that reason it is important that you, potentially with the help of the importer, find out what is required by checking DEFRA’s website. You can also read more on their website about how the various parts of the certificate are filled in and which information is mandatory, and which is optional.
This applies to exports to the United Kingdom:
- The importer must register the consignment in the UK through the IPAFFS computer system
- The consignment will receive a unique notification number (UNN) in IPAFFS, which has the format IMP.GB.2021.1XXXXXX.
- A health certificate issued by an official veterinarian in Sweden must always accompany the consignment.
- The importer in the UK must provide the UNN number to the exporter or to the official veterinarian in Sweden, who will record the number in the health certificate.
- The exporter must provide the importer with an electronic copy of the health certificate so that it can be uploaded to IPAFFS.
- The exporter is responsible for ensuring that the original health certificate accompanies the consignment.
Find out the import requirements of the country of destination
Before exporting animals to a country outside the EU , you need to find out which requirements apply for import to the country of destination. You can consult your official veterinarian whether there is an agreed certificate between Sweden or the EU and the country of destination for cattle. If no such certificate exists, you are recommended to contact the embassy or responsible veterinary authority in the country of destination well in advance to find out their import requirements.
- Is it possible to export the product to the country of destination?
- Does the product comply with the relevant legislation in the country of destination?
- Do you need to apply for anything in particular, for example, an import permit?
- Is quarantine or vaccination of the animals needed before dispatch?
- Which health certificates are required, or which other requirements must be met?
- Is any particular permit required?
Health certificate
Contact an official veterinarian well in advance to ascertain whether there is any officially agreed health certificate that applies to the non-EU country to which you intend to export your products of animal origin. In case there is available such an agreed certificate between either Sweden or the EU and the third country of destination, it is always the agreed certificate that needs to be used.
If there is no agreed health certificate, you should contact the authorities in the country of destination to find out which certificates they accept or what are the requirements the product needs to meet. If the destination country has a pre-approved certificate template for the specific product, make sure your official veterinarian receives it well in advance to be able to evaluate if your product meets the requirements in the certificate. Never use an earlier version of certificate without checking with the country of destination that the certificate is still accepted.
If you have only been informed about the requirements that must be met in order to be allowed to export to the specific country, it is your responsibility as the exporter to draft the certificate text, including the relevant requirements. You are also recommended to verify in writing with the competent authorities of the country of destination that they approve the certificate text.
When the certificate text is approved by the competent authorities of the country of destination you contact the official veterinarian with the information and the certificate text well in advance to the planned export.
The Swedish Board of Agriculture’s logo is not allowed to be used for a certificate not agreed between the country’s competent authorities.
The official veterinarian has always the possibility to deny signing a certificate if the consignment does not meet the requirements stated in the certificate or if it is written in a language that the official veterinarian does not understand.
Please note that when using a certificate that has not been agreed between the competent authorities in the countries concerned, the export is at the exporter’s own risk. When using an officially agreed certificate, the authorities have better opportunities to assist if the shipment gets stuck at the border control.
If applicable, submit an export application
In many cases it is needed or convenient to have an officially agreed certificate for your export. An officially agreed certificate means that the competent authorities of the countries concerned agreed on the animal health requirement for the animals och products concerned.
The first stage on the way to an agreed certificate is the submission of market access application via our e-form. After receiving the export application, it is within our responsibility at the Swedish Board of Agriculture to contact the country of destination and initiate a negotiation with the purpose to agree on a certificate.
Keep in mind that negotiations for agreement of export certificate may take a long time before getting completed, it is not uncommon that the process can take several years. Of this reason we recommend the process for getting a certificate agreed on competent authority level only if you have long term plans with your export and you plan to export larger quantities of your product on regular basis. It is no solution for an export in the near future.
In the e-form, we ask about your plans regarding the quantity and frequency of exports. If we receive many applications, we will prioritize those that
- are expected to generate higher economic value in the future
- involve several companies interested in the same type of export
- have a higher likelihood of approval in the destination country.
Find out if there are any export restrictions
Before you travel with animals or export them to countries outside the EU, you need to check if any export restrictions apply due to outbreaks of contagious animal diseases.
Find out what rules apply for the transport
The first thing you need to do before planning the transport is to find out if you transport animals in connection with an economic activity or not. You can find this on our page for animal transporters.
If you are a transporter
As a transporter, you need to meet the transport requirements regardless if the transport go within
- Sweden
- EU
- transit countries (countries outside the EU that are passed through on the way to the country of destination)
- country of destination outside the EU
Regulations concerning transport of each animal species within Sweden and the EU can be found via links on the page about Animal Transports on the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s website.
Regulations concerning transport in a country outside EU are provided by the competent authority in the country concerned. If you have questions regarding these transport requirements, you should contact the relevant authority in the non-EU country.
Plan the transport carefully
You must plan the transport carefully to ensure that the animals do not get stuck anywhere along the way.
When traveling or trading with certain countries, there may be areas with restrictions due to contagious animal diseases. If transporting animals through such areas, special regulations may apply, and in some cases, animals may not be allowed to be transported through a restricted area at all.
There may also be limitations on animal transport due to animal welfare concerns during extreme temperatures, which could mean that you are not permitted to transport animals in that area as long as such conditions persist.
You must find out which rules apply to the transport of animals in the countries you will pass through and in the country, you are traveling to. Transport regulations may vary between countries.
Swedish Customs
If you sell animals to a country outside the EU, you must also check with Swedish Customs which rules apply, for instance regarding customs declaration.
If the animals are returning to Sweden later
If you plan to bring animals back to Sweden that have been in a country outside the EU, they must meet the EU's import requirements for that specific country. The animal must enter the EU through an approved border control post and is required to be accompanied by a health certificate issued by the authorities of the country.
Rejection at border control station
If animals have been refused entry at a border control post in the destination country and you wish to return the consignment to Sweden, the possibility of doing so depends on the country of rejection and the type of animal species involved. In the case of live animals, animal welfare considerations must also be considered. Further information is available under Import and border controls of animals, animal products and feed on the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s website.
Contact us if you have questions
If you have any questions about exporting to a country outside the EU, please contact us by e-mail.
Författningar
Söker efter grundforeskrifter:
2021:13
