Animal Plant Health Agency
Details
From 31 October 2023, to import live animals or animal products from the EU and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) states into Great Britain, youll need to:
- find the Target Operating Model (TOM) risk category for the commodity youre importing
- follow the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) rules for that import risk category
The TOM categorises live animals, germinal products, products of animal origin (POAO) and animal by-products (ABPs) as high risk, medium risk or low risk. Each category has different requirements.
How to find the TOM risk category for animals and animal products
You can use the 2 documents on this page to help you find the risk category for a commodity youre importing.
TOM risk categories: summary tables
Use the TOM risk categories for animal and animal product imports from the EU to Great Britain: summary tables to find out about TOM risk categories for live animals, POAO and ABPs.
The tables give a summary of how different types of animals and animal products will be categorised. They do not provide the risk categories for specific commodity codes.
TOM risk categories: searchable list with commodity codes
Use the spreadsheet on this page (TOM risk categories for animal and animal product imports from the EU to Great Britain: searchable list with commodity codes) to find the risk category for a specific commodity youre importing. You can search using a commodity code or browse a list of commodities.
The list includes live animals and POAO. It does not include all ABPs and composite products.
If the list does not give the risk category for the commodity youre importing, or indicates that it could be either medium or low risk, refer to the summary tables for more information about how that type of commodity will be categorised.
Composite products
From October 2023, all composite products from the EU and from EFTA states will be either:
- in the low TOM risk category (some products will have a further risk assessment and may become medium risk, but not before April 2024)
- not placed in a TOM risk category because it is exempt from official import controls.
Find out if your product is a composite, and if it is exempt from import controls.
Rules for each TOM risk category
There are 3 TOM risk categories:
- low
- medium
- high
If your consignment is in the low TOM risk category
Use the import of products, animals, food and feed system (IPAFFS) to notify authorities before the goods arrive in Great Britain.
You do not need a health certificate.
Low TOM risk category consignments must come with a commercial document from the supplier.
Some ABPs currently need a facilitation letter to import from the EU. From 31 October 2023 youll no longer need a facilitation letter for these products if they are in the low TOM risk cate