The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Act 2024 - Urgent Update

The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Act 2024 makes provision to prohibit the export of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and equines for slaughter, including fattening for subsequent slaughter, beginning in or transiting through Great Britain to EU member states and other third countries.

The prohibition will apply to exports from Monday 22nd July 2024. Two new document codes have been introduced to cover circumstances under which exports of livestock can claim an exemption from the prohibition if they are not subject to the new legislation.

-Document code 9Y01 can be used for the export of livestock from Northern Ireland to either Great Britain or directly to a third country. It cannot be used if goods are intended to transit through Great Britain to a country outside of the UK.

-Document code 9Y02 can be used to claim an exemption if the livestock is of a species not covered by the prohibition or is being exported for purposes other than slaughter or fattening for subsequent slaughter.

Pre-lodged declarations for impacted livestock which are arrived on or after Monday 22nd July 2024 and do not include either 9Y01 or 9Y02, will be rejected. Declarations should be amended before being arrived. Document codes 9Y01 and 9Y02 are available for immediate use, so it is not necessary to wait until Monday before declaring the appropriate code.

Any livestock for slaughter or for fattening for subsequent slaughter, which have already been granted release on an arrived export declaration, must be exported before the prohibition comes into force. If they have not been exported by the time the prohibition comes into force, then the declaration must be invalidated and the livestock must not be exported.

Further details will be published as a Tariff Stop Press Notice @ UK Integrated Online Tariff: Look up commodity codes, duty and VAT rates - GOV.UK (trade-tariff.service.gov.uk)