Guides / Export health certificates · Updated 30 September 2026

Export health certificates for UK food going to the EU

Meat, dairy, fish and other food of animal origin cannot leave Great Britain for Poland on a customs declaration alone. This guide walks through the export health certificate, who signs it, and what must happen at the EU border.

This guide is also available in Polish.

Why British food of animal origin needs a certificate

Since the UK left the EU, a lorry of cheese, sausages or chilled fish leaving Great Britain for Poland is treated as an import from a country outside the EU. Customs paperwork is only half the job. Food that contains products of animal origin (often shortened to POAO) also has to pass veterinary and food-safety controls when it enters the EU, and the key document that makes this possible is the export health certificate, or EHC.

GOV.UK describes an EHC as an official document confirming that your export meets the health requirements of the destination country. For food or drink that contains POAO going from Great Britain to the EU, you need one. Without it, the consignment can be refused at the EU border.

The three things that must line up

A successful shipment depends on three separate pieces fitting together:

1. The UK side: a correctly completed EHC, signed by a qualified certifying officer after the goods have been checked.
2. The producer: the business that made the food must be on the list of approved businesses allowed to export POAO to the EU.
3. The EU side: the consignment is pre-notified in TRACES and presented at an EU border control post (BCP) that accepts that type of product.

If any one of these is missing, the customs declaration alone will not get the goods released.

Step 1: apply for the EHC through EHC Online

Exporters apply through the government's EHC Online service, run by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). You register first, then choose the certificate that matches your product and destination. Each certificate comes with notes for guidance explaining what every field means, so read them before you start rather than after a rejection.

Your application must name the person who will certify the goods. Before you submit, check that they are available to inspect the consignment before it leaves.

Timing

According to GOV.UK, the certifier receives the certificate 7 working days before your export date, or within one working day of APHA receiving the application if you plan to export within the next 7 working days. In practice, the earlier you apply, the more time there is to correct mistakes before the lorry is booked.

Step 2: the certifying officer

The EHC is not something the exporter signs. It must be certified by an official veterinarian or, for some products, a local authority inspector. GOV.UK has a service to help you find a professional to certify an EHC. The certifier inspects the goods and the supporting documents, then signs the certificate.

Before the inspection, gather the supporting documents your certifier will ask for, such as proof of where the raw materials came from and production records. GOV.UK also says the goods must not be split up during transit: the consignment that arrives must be the same one that was certified.

Step 3: the approved business requirement

GOV.UK states that if you export food or drink containing POAO to the EU, you need to be listed as an approved business. This applies to the establishment that produced or handled the product. A perfectly filled EHC will not help if the plant named on it is not listed. Check this with your producer before you quote a customer in Poland.

Step 4: pre-notification in TRACES

On the EU side, the system is TRACES, the European Commission's online platform for animal and plant health certification. It also acts as a central database for monitoring consignments checked at BCPs.

GOV.UK explains that your import agent in the EU should use TRACES to notify the BCP that the consignment is coming, within the time limits set by that BCP. This is the importer's side of the job, but it is your problem if it does not happen, because the lorry will wait. Agree in writing who does it and send the importer a copy of the EHC in good time.

Step 5: entry through an EU border control post

Food of animal origin cannot enter the EU through any crossing the driver chooses. It must be checked at a BCP, and GOV.UK warns that not all BCPs accept all goods. Check that the BCP on your route is designated for your product type (chilled, frozen, ambient, and the product category) before you book transport.

The European Commission states that a consignment of animal products can only enter the EU if it has passed the required checks and a Common Health Entry Document (CHED) has been issued from TRACES. For products of animal origin this is the CHED-P. The checks include:

• Documentary checks: the official certificate and other documents are examined.
• Identity checks: officials confirm that the nature and labelling of the goods match the documents.
• Physical checks: where selected, the goods themselves are inspected.

Once the goods are cleared at the BCP and customs formalities are complete, the consignment can continue to Poland. For how the Polish side of the process works, including the documents a Polish buyer expects, see this guide on importing meat and dairy from Great Britain into Poland. Our overview of how customs declarations are handled explains the separate customs layer, and if the goods travel under transit before reaching their final office, see T1 transit from the UK to the EU.

Common reasons consignments are refused

GOV.UK warns that goods may be refused if they arrive without the correct documentation. The European Commission says that where goods do not meet EU requirements, the authority may order them to be destroyed, re-dispatched outside the EU, given special treatment or subjected to another appropriate measure. The problems that lead there usually fall into a few groups:

• Wrong or incomplete EHC: the certificate does not match the product, or fields are completed inconsistently with the notes for guidance.
• Mismatch with the load: labels, quantities or seals do not match what the certificate describes, often because the consignment was changed after certification.
• Producer not listed: the establishment is not an approved business for export to the EU.
• No or late pre-notification: the importer did not notify the BCP in TRACES within its time limits.
• Wrong BCP: the lorry arrives at a post that does not accept that category of goods.

If a consignment is rejected and brought back, GOV.UK asks for full details of the destination in Great Britain and the intended use or destruction of the returned goods, so returning it is a paperwork exercise of its own.

A short pre-dispatch checklist

• Producer confirmed as an approved business for POAO exports to the EU.
• Correct certificate chosen in EHC Online and notes for guidance read.
• Certifier named, available and given the supporting documents.
• Application submitted in time for the certifier to receive it.
• Importer or their agent confirmed they will pre-notify in TRACES.
• BCP on the route checked for your product type.
• Customs export and import declarations arranged, with an EORI number in place.

Related guides

• Importing honey from Poland and the EU into Great Britain

• Border Target Operating Model: risk categories for EU food and plant imports

• Exporting food supplements from the UK to Poland

Sources

• Get an export health certificate (GOV.UK)
• Export or move food, drink and agricultural products (GOV.UK)
• Veterinary border control (European Commission)
• Import controls of food and feed Q&As (European Commission)

General information, not legal, tax or customs advice. Rules change; confirm current requirements on gov.uk or with a registered agent before you ship.