GovWire

You, your agent or broker must make sure any imported regulated (controlled) timber, wood products and bark (wood material) meets import requirements in England, Scotland and Wales (Great Britain) before its exported.

If youre importing into Great Britain (GB) and its destined for Northern Ireland, you must meet both GBs and Northern Irelands import requirements.

Check with the plant health authority in Northern Ireland about its import rules.

Register as a professional operator to trade regulated wood material

You, your agent or broker must first apply to the Forestry Commission to become a professional operator and notify them before the material arrives in England, Scotland or Wales. All regulated wood material has a plant health inspection on arrival.

Meet phytosanitary requirements

Make sure your consignment meets the plant health (phytosanitary) requirements for timber, wood and wood products (items 109 - 142) before its exported to avoid unnecessary and costly delays at the border.

A phytosanitary certificate is issued in the country of export and verifies:

• the tree species of the timber, wood products and bark
• that it meets the phytosanitary import requirements of the importing country
• the wood material type and the country of origin

It must show that the regulated material:

• has been officially inspected in the country of origin (or country of dispatch)
• complies with statutory phytosanitary requirements for entry into GB
• is free from quarantine pests and disease
• is substantially free from other harmful organisms

Phytosanitary certificates for re-export

These show that a consignment issued with a phytosanitary certificate in one country has been stored, repacked or split in another country and then exported to GB.

Complete a notice of landing form (inspection request)

You must request an inspection by completing a notice of landing form for all regulated material.

The notice you need to give depends on how your consignment is arriving.

You need to give notice of:

• at least four working hours before the goods land in the UK, for air and roll-on-roll-off freight
• at least one working day before the goods arrive in the UK for all other freight

If you expect difficulties meeting the requirements, you should contact the Forestry Commission: email plant.health@forestrycommission.gov.uk

Present phytosanitary and customs documents

You, your agent or broker must present original phytosanitary certificates to an inspector within 3 days of any wood material entering GB.

If the wood material is being imported by post, you must attach its certificates to the outside of the package.

You must make sure each consignment is accompanied by either:

• a single phytosanitary certificate
• another phytosanitary certificate for re-export (where appropriate)

Industry and mill certificates

Equivalence arrangements that were in place for certain countries of origin when the UK was in the EU no longer apply.

Customs documents

You must make sure the Customs document for each consignment includes:

• a statement that it contains produce of phytosanitary relevance
• the reference number of the phytosanitary certificate, phytosanitary certificate for re-export or industry certificate
• the registration number of the importer or agent

Plant health inspections

The Forestry Commission or the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland carry out plant health inspections.

These inspections are separate from any checks carried out by other government inspectorates, such as Border Force or HMRC.

Inspectors usually operate Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (although local arrangements may be in place).

Once inspectors are notified a consignment is ready for examination, they will inspect it that day or the next working day.

Importing from the EU or Switzerland from 1 January 2021

If your regulated wood material originates from the EU or Switzerland, then there are new rules that apply from 1 Jan 2021.

High-priority timber, wood products and bark from the EU must have:

• a phytosanitary (health) certificate (PC)
• a pre-notification submitted by the importer in England, Scotland or Wales
• documentary and identity checks
• a physical inspection

Find out about types of timber, wood products and bark on the high priority list.

Checks on imports from a third country

If your import is from a third country outside the EU, a plant health inspection will be carried out on arrival at a border control post.

You should aim to provide as much notice as possible so goods can be inspected promptly and cleared quickly with Customs.

Customs will not clear goods until a plant health inspection has been completed.

Border control posts

Plant health checks are carried out at approved points of entry (POE). An approved point of entry has the facilities to treat or destroy consignments of wood, if necessary.

You should be aware that:

• it can take time for port operators to conduct fumigant gas checks on containerised material
• port operators will charge for commercial consignment handling services
• inspectors will only perform inspections when its safe to do so

Approved inland inspection premises

Only approved professional operators can get Forestry Commission and HMRC clearance at inland inspection premises instead of at a point of entry.

External temporary storage facilities (ETSFs) must meet the safety and biosecurity standards set by the Forestry Commission and HMRC.

If the premises do not have fumigant gas-checking facilities or trained containerised material operators, you may be responsible for devanning.

Devanning is where you have to unseal the landed containers and take the contents out for physical inspection. This will be at your own risk and cost.

Non-EU imports checked in the EU

If your import is from a non-EU (third) country thats been checked in the EU, it will be allowed to move onward to GB as an EU import with the original phytosanitary certificate.

It must meet UK import requirements for forestry pests present in the EU but not in parts of the UK.

Non-EU imports arriving via the EU

If plant health checks have not been carried out in the EU for example, if the consignment has been placed into a customs transit procedure it will be treated as a direct import from the country of origin.

In this case, plant health checks will need to be carried out on entry to GB. This will apply to both containerised and bulk consignments.

Checks on your consignment

When your consignment arrives in GB, inspectors will:

1. Check the documentation to make sure it has been filled out in full and that it complies with regulations.

2. Where applicable, carry out identity checks to make sure the description on all the documentation matches the actual wood material in the consignment. For example, if the wood has been kiln dried, it must be clearly marked with KD or another internationally recognised mark.

3. Where applicable, examine all or a sample of the consignment, including the packaging, to make sure it complies with plant health regulations.

Pay inspection fees