Exporting to the EU

To become approved, the competent authority in the despatching non-EU country needs to contact the European Commission to request approval. An option for contacting the Commission is, for example, through the country's embassy to the EU. The FVO will visit the country and establishments to check hygiene standards are equivalent to those in the EU. Approval is proposed, accepted or rejected.

Following successful approval, a Commission Decision is drawn up, giving the format for health certification and a list of approved establishments. Further guidance on the approval procedure for non-EU countries is available in European Commission guidance on procedures for importing live animals and animal products into the EU and can be accessed on the Commission website (pdf document).

Lists of establishments in non-EU countries currently approved to supply animal products to the EU, are available on the Commission website.

Animal products from non-EU countries imported for human consumption that must be from approved establishments include:

• Meat, including fresh meat, meat products, minced meat, meat preparations, poultry meat, rabbit, farmed game meat and wild game meat
• Eggs and egg products
• Fish and fishery products
• Milk and milk products
• Honey
• Gelatine and gelatine products

For a full list of products, see Commission Decision 2007/275/EC (pdf document).

The role of the FVO includes carrying out inspections in EU countries and countries exporting to the EU to check compliance with EU requirements of food quality and safety legislation. FVO recommendations to deal with shortcomings may impact on the import of food from a particular country, or on the import of a particular product.

FVO inspection programmes can be found below.