APHA - Getting it Right at the Border
Today's (24 April 2025) newsletter from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) covers the latest operational updates on requirements and border controls for importing live animals, germinal products, products of animal origin and animal by-products into Great Britain.
In this newsletter:
- Animal by-product Importer declarations
- FMD - Avoid processing delays at the border
- Useful contacts and information
Animal by-product (ABP) Importer declarations
There is currently no legal requirement for EU traders to use model importer declarations for importing ABPs from EU countries. However, from 30/04/2025, EU traders may voluntarily use importer declarations to help correctly identify the type of product they wish to import to Great Britain. The use of these declarations may help to facilitate the movement of these ABPs through BCPs. EU traders can therefore use the following declarations for certain ABPs:
- GBHC141 – for bones and bone products, horns and horn products and hoof products intended for use other than as feed material, organic fertilisers or soil improvers
GBHC586 – for untreated wool and hair, depending on the country of origin and intended destination
GBHC144E – for intermediate products
If traders choose to use declarations to import these ABPs, they must still complete a commercial document.
GOV.UK guidance will be made available here shortly.
FMD - Avoid processing delays at the border
APHA understands that enhanced controls for German, Hungarian , Slovakian and Austrian FMD-susceptible meat products, milk and milk products may present a challenge for traders, and we appreciate your cooperation and support for keeping Great Britain FMD-free.
The following are actions that you and/or your agent can take to help mitigate some of the most common causes of processing delays that we’re currently seeing at the border. Please pass to your agent for information.
- Multiple CHEDs under the same MRN.
Where a load or container consists of a mixed load or groupage, there is an increased risk that the SPS hold on the customs declaration will not be lifted if one or more of the consignments in the load requires an inspection.
Example: an agent or importer has correctly submitted 3 separate CHED import notifications in IPAFFS for 3 consignments in a vehicle’s load. All 3 are correctly recorded on the customs declaration in CDS.
Checking on IPAFFS, two of the consignments have been cleared as valid but one is still undergoing documentary checks and has not yet been cleared. An SPS hold is showing on the customs declaration in CDS.
Once all 3 CHEDS are cleared as valid by the Port Health Authority, the SPS hold is removed from the customs declaration and HMRC/Border Force can release the load if no further customs checks are required.
Action to take: Traders and their agents are asked to check the status of their consignments via IPAFFS and CDS and where necessary discuss options to minimise delays with the Port Health Authority/Local Authority (PHA/LA) at the point of entry. These may include devanning and separating the consignments. This is likely to require the resubmission of the customs declaration for the load.
- Removal of consignments for inspections.
If your supplier off-loads a particular consignment before it reaches Great Britain, and you or your agent cancels the accompanying CHED import notification in IPAFFS, it is important that you or your agent also amends the pre-lodged customs declaration in CDS to remove the relevant commodity codes and CHED reference number for the consignment. This also applies if you ask the PHA to cancel the CHED on your behalf.
Action to take: You or your agent should amend the customs declaration to remove any cancelled CHEDs. If the customs declaration is not amended, the SPS hold will persist because CDS is not able to access the inspection decision for the cancelled CHED.
Consignments will not be released until the customs declaration is amended and the SPS hold lifted. In exceptional cases where the CDS entry cannot be amended, the National Clearance Hub can issue a manual release. NCH will NOT release holds for any other reason.
- Consignment remains under an SPS hold in CDS
Where a consignment is still under an SPS hold on CDS despite all SPS checks being complete and all CHEDs showing as valid on IPAFFS, this may be due to inconsistencies in data entry between the CHED import notification and the customs declaration.
Action to take: Traders and agents should check both submissions and amend as necessary. The most common errors include:
- the CHED reference number being incorrectly entered into CDS
- commodity codes not aligning
- non-English characters/text copied and pasted into CHED fields on IPAFFS.
- the final destination is not a recognised GB address / country code is not given as GB.
If you or your agent require further information on any of these actions, please contact the PHA at your consignments’ point of entry into GB.
Useful contacts
Imports of animal products: for urgent questions about imports of animal products, including germinal products, contact the Port Health Authority or Local Authority at the Border Control Post (BCP) for the goods’ point of entry. Find the BCP and the PHA/LA contact information on this map or list.
Imports of live animals: for urgent questions about imports of live animals, contact APHA.
Imports of plants and plant products: for urgent questions regarding imports into England and Wales, contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), by email, in the first instance: phsi-importers@apha.gov.uk . Alternatively, you can contact them by telephone: +44 (0) 3000 200 301
If you need technical help with IPAFFS, please call the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) helpline on 0330 041 6999 or email APHAServiceDesk@apha.gov.uk (not 24 hours)
Sources of information
Foot and Mouth disease - Foot and mouth disease: latest situation - GOV.UK
Check our detailed guidance for information on how to comply with import requirements.
Importing from the EU:
Imports, exports and EU trade of animals and animal products: topical issues - GOV.UK
Products of animal origin for human consumption: Import animal products for human consumption from the EU to Great Britain - GOV.UK
Live animals and germinal products: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/import-live-animals-and-germinal-products-from-the-eu-to-great-britain
Plants and plant products:
- Import plants and plant products from the EU to Great Britain - GOV.UK
- Trade - UK Plant Health Information Portal
Importing from non-EU countries:
Live animals, animal products and HRFNAO: Importing live animals, animal products and high risk food and feed of non-animal origin from non-EU countries to Great Britain - GOV.UK
Plants and plant products:
