Importing fresh produce, seafood, poultry and eggs into Great Britain: IPAFFS, CHED and the BTOM

GOV.UK states that IPAFFS must be used to notify authorities in Great Britain before the following goods arrive, from EU and non-EU countries: live animals, germinal products, animal by-products, high-risk food and feed not of animal origin (HRFNAO), products of animal origin (POAO), composite food products, and medium- and high-risk plants and plant products.

Import documents must be uploaded in electronic form before the notification is submitted. Whoever raises the notification is responsible for the consignment from when it enters Great Britain until the authorities complete their checks. Import agents register with their own business details.

Each notification carries a Common Health Entry Document (CHED) reference for its consignment type — for example a CHED-P for a product of animal origin and a CHED-D for high-risk food not of animal origin. GOV.UK's plant import guidance explains that a consignment needing more than one notification should quote each CHED reference in the commercial documents of the other.

Where the exporting country issues an electronic phytosanitary certificate (ePhyto), GOV.UK states it acts as the original certificate and is attached to the IPAFFS notification automatically.

The BTOM is the UK Government's model for import controls on animals, animal products, plants and plant products entering Great Britain, introduced progressively from the end of January 2024. Each commodity is given a risk level; the level, and whether the goods come from the EU or a non-EU country, decide the documents and checks required.

Check the current risk level of your exact commodity and origin in the official lists before you agree terms — the lists differ for EU and non-EU origins and for animal and plant goods.

Most fresh fruit and vegetables imported to Great Britain must meet marketing standards for quality and labelling, checked by the Horticultural Marketing Inspectorate (HMI) in England and Wales and by SASA in Scotland. Goods covered by the Specific Marketing Standard that are imported directly from a non-EU country need a certificate of conformity, and the import must be notified on IPAFFS. Goods under the General Marketing Standard may be selected for a check, in which case notification is required before entry.

Some fruit and vegetables also go through plant health controls; for those, the supplier obtains a phytosanitary certificate from the plant health authority in the exporting country. According to GOV.UK, fruit and vegetables grown in and imported from the EU do not currently go through marketing standards controls, and those controls are not expected before 1 February 2027.

Fish, shrimp, poultry meat and eggs are products of animal origin, so they require an IPAFFS notification and the health certificate set out in the import conditions for the product and origin. Great Britain accepts verifiable PDF health certificates from a list of countries published on GOV.UK.

Origin eligibility, approved establishments and border control post arrangements depend on the product and country — confirm them against GOV.UK before an order, not after a quote.

• Who will be the importer of record and who will raise the IPAFFS notification
• Exact product, HS code if known, and origin — so the BTOM risk level can be checked
• Certificates the supplier must provide: phytosanitary, health or conformity certificate, as applicable
• Marketing-standard class and labelling language for fresh fruit and vegetables
• Port of entry and expected arrival window
• Inspection point and claims procedure if a consignment is held or rejected

Our team turns these points into one reviewed request and approaches suitable suppliers on your behalf. Buyers pay nothing; sourcing programmes start from USD 250,000 per year or season, and every requirement is confirmed per shipment rather than assumed.