Trading in Plants and Plant Products with GB
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
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- 7. Information on using the UK landbridge and other transit routes via Ireland
- 8. Wood packaging material
- 9. Guidance for exporting plant, plant products, wood and wood products
- 10. Border Control Posts (BCPs) in Ireland
- 11. Frequently raised topics
- 12. Trading in Forestry plants, wood and wood products
To protect human health, plant health and the environment, EU rules restrict the import of certain goods from third countries including some plants, plant products and wood packaging.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine will play a key role in implementing EU law in this instance. This will include performing the necessary checks and controls and processing the necessary authorisations and licences when importing from GB.
EU Regulation 2016/2031 sets out the protective measures against the introduction into the Community of organisms harmful to plants or plant products and against their spread within the Community.
Importers of certain plants and plant products from GB will be required to be registered with the Horticulture and Plant Health Division of the Department and to follow the steps necessary to allow these consignments and their accompanying documents to be inspected as required.
Personal consignments of plant origin outside the European Union have the potential to endanger plant health as well as impact the biodiversity and wider environment if the goods brought into the State do not meet EU Regulation 2016/2031 and EU Regulation 2017/625 govern the movement of plants into and within the European Union by either commercial or private means. Regulated plants, parts of plants, fruit, vegetables, cut flowers, seeds and grain may not be brought in to the State without a valid phytosanitary certificate (with the appropriate declarations) being presented to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine at the point of entry.
Professional operators involved in:
- breeding
- planting
- production
- trading or distributing
Plants and plant products must be registered with the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine.
This is required under European Union regulations aimed at protecting plant health.
In accordance with regulation 71 of the European Union (Plant Health) Regulations 2020, S.I. 459 of 2020, the schedule of charges for inspections carried out on regulated plants, plant products and other objects introduced into the State from Third Countries is set out at Annex B of this notice. The plants, plant products and other objects to which charges apply are listed in Annex A.
All consignments of plants and plant products listed in Annex A of this notice entering the State from Third Countries will be subject to an Inspection Charge, based on the schedule of charges as set out in Annex B of this notice. The charge will apply to imported consignments arriving in both Dublin Port, Dublin Airport and Rosslare Harbour.
Each Inspection Charge comprises (a) documentary check fee, (b) an identity check fee and (c) a plant health check fee based on the volume/quantity of material as set out in Annex B of this Notice. Note:
As per Article 3 of Regulation 2017/625 “consignment” means a quantity of goods of the same type covered by the same official certificate, conveyed by the same means of transport from the same third country or territory.
To reduce administrative burden, registered importers will be invoiced once in the second week of the month for all consignments inspected in the preceding calendar month.
Details of the methods by which payments can be made shall accompany each invoice. A remittance slip will be provided with each invoice for your convenience. Please ensure that you quote your customer number, located at the top left of the invoice, together with the invoice number when completing the remittance slip.
Payment by cheque, draft or money order (in Euro only) should be made payable to:
The Accountant, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
The remittance slip together with payment should be forwarded to:
Cash Office
Remittances should be sent to this address only. Failure to do so may result in delays in the registering of payments (see non payments below).
A facility to make payments by EFT or credit/debit card can only be made in accordance with a set protocol.
Information on payment by EFT can be obtained by contacting +353-(0)49-4368239
Details on payment by credit/debit card can be obtained by contacting +353-(0)49-4352053.
Registered importers are reminded of the provisions of Trader Notice 4 of 2015 and specifically the requirement of ensuring that the original Phytosanitary Certificate for each consignment is received by the Department within five working days of the Department issuing the associated Clearance Certificate.
In the event that you have any queries in relation to this matter, please contact this office either by emailing plantandpests@agriculture.gov.ie or alternatively by telephone (01)5058885.
Please carefully note the following information when importing or otherwise risk delays or entry refusal at the Irish border:
These import procedures cover procedures for Dublin Airport for all consignments of plants and plant products imported directly from third countries.
Only registered professional operators with Department approval to import may import regulated plants and plant products directly from third countries.
It is the responsibility of the operator responsible for the consignment (acting on behalf of the trader, customs agent) to ensure they are registered on TRACES NT (The Trade Control and Expert System New Technology). Guidelines on how to create an EU login and sign up to use TRACES NT can be found here .
All importers of regulated plants and plant products must notify the Department a minimum of 24 hours in advance of shipping via points 1 and 2 below.
Regulated plants and plant products coming from the third countries must be accompanied by a valid phytosanitary certificate.
All wood packaging material and dunnage associated with the consignment must be stamped with the ISPM 15 mark. Please refer to the Wood Packaging Material section on this page for detailed information.
Registered traders are required to follow the steps and advice below:
1. Complete the CHED-PP (Common Health Entry Document for Plants, Plant Products and Plant propagating material) part 1 via TRACES NT (The Trade Control and Expert System New Technology).
2. Necessary documents and logistical information must be submitted 24 hours in advance via the Department’s Imports Portal . Instructions on how to use the Imports Portal can be found on a step-by-step video on our Brexit – Webinars and ‘how to’ guides page . The documents and information required are as follows:
Instructions on how to complete a CHED-PP (Common Health Entry Document for Plants, Plant Products and Plant propagating material) part 1 can be found here .
- Contact details of Operator Responsible for the consignment
- Date and time of arrival of consignment
- Country of dispatch
- Entry Point on arrival
- CHED-PP (Common Health Entry Document for Plants, Plant Products and Plant propagating material) number
- Plant Health Registration (PHR) number of the importer
- Customs SAD (Single Administrative Document) number
- Copy of the Original Phytosanitary Certificate (colour scan of original) with appropriate additional declarations
- Copy of the Invoice
- Copy of the Airway bill
- Copy of Customs SAD (Single Administrative Document)
3. The importer or customs agent will receive an automatic confirmation email that the Department has received an application. This email will contain a case reference number. This is an automated reply and only refers to receipt of application and is not an approval for entry.
4. If the application is incomplete or documents are missing, the operator responsible for the consignment will be notified of this via email. The email will outline what information or documents are still required. In this case, to proceed the operator responsible for the consignment must resubmit the outstanding information via the link attached on the email.
Please note incomplete applications will likely lead to delays in the processing applications.
5. On arrival, consignments will be subject to documentary, identity and physical checks by a Department official.
6. On the date of arrival of the consignment the operator responsible for the consignment will be notified the allocated inspections time at the Border Control Post. It is the responsibility of the operator responsible for the consignment to ensure that the consignment is presented at the allocated time at the Border Control Post to avoid delays.
7. On successful completion of Department’s checks, a clearance certificate will be issued to Customs and the operator responsible for the consignment.
8. If a consignment is rejected at any stage of the checking process, the operator responsible for the consignment will be notified via email outlining the reasons for rejection. In the event of a rejection of an application the Customs SAD (Single Administrative Document) is also rejected. If the operator responsible for the consignment wishes to reapply, they must supply a new Customs SAD and reapply to the Department via the process outlined above.
9. The original phytosanitary certificate must be presented to a Department inspector at the Border Control Post in Cargo Terminal 3 in Dublin airport on the day of arrival of the consignment.
Note: It is the responsibility of the operator responsible for the consignment to ensure that any additional documentary processes necessary to clear Customs Control have been completed.
Please carefully note the following information when importing or otherwise risk delays or entry refusal at the Irish border:
These import procedures cover procedures for Dublin port for all consignments of plants and plant products imported directly from third countries.
Only registered traders approved to import may import regulated plants and plant products directly from third countries.
It is the responsibility of the person responsible for the consignment (acting on behalf of the trader) to ensure they are registered on TRACES NT (The Trade Control and Expert System New Technology).
Guidelines on how to register and use TRACES NT can be found here
All importers of regulated plants and plant products must notify the Department a minimum of 24 hours in advance of shipping via points 1 and 2 below.
Regulated plants and plant products coming from the third countries must be accompanied by a valid phytosanitary certificate.
All wood packaging material and dunnage associated with the consignment must be stamped with the ISPM 15 mark. Please refer to the Wood Packaging Material section on this page for detailed information.
1. Complete the CHED-PP (Common Health Entry Document for Plants, Plant Products and Plant propagating material) part 1 via TRACES NT (The Trade Control and Expert System New Technology).
2. Necessary documents and logistical information must be submitted 24 hours in advance via the Department’s Imports Control Web portal . Instructions on how to use the web portal can be found here . The documents and information required are as follows:
- Contact details of Operator Responsible for the consignment
- Date and time of arrival of consignment
- Country of dispatch
- Entry Point on arrival
- CHED-PP (Common Health Entry Document for Plants, Plant Products and Plant propagating material) number
- Plant Health Registration (PHR) number of the importer
- Customs SAD (Single Administrative Document) number
- Copy of the Original Phytosanitary Certificate (colour scan of original) with appropriate additional declarations
- Copy of the Invoice
- Copy of the Airway bill
- Copy of Customs SAD (Single Administrative Document)
3. The importer will then receive an automatic confirmation email that the Department have received an application. This email will contain a Case Reference Number. This is an automated reply and only refers to receipt of application and is not an approval for entry.
4. If the application is incomplete or documents are missing, the person responsible for the consignment will be notified of this via email. The email will outline what information or documents are still required. In this case, to proceed the person responsible for the consignment must resubmit the outstanding information via the link attached on the email.
Please note incomplete applications will likely lead to delays in the processing applications.
5. On arrival, consignments will be subject to documentary, identity and physical checks by a Department official.
6. On successful completion of checks by the Department, a clearance certificate will be issued to Customs and the person responsible for the load.
7. If a consignment is rejected at any stage of the checking process, the person responsible for the load will be notified via email outlining the reasons for rejection. In the event of a rejection of an application the Customs SAD is also rejected. If the person responsible for the load wishes to reapply, they must supply a new Customs SAD and reapply to the Department via the process outlined above.
8. The original phytosanitary certificate together with a copy of the relevant clearance certificate must be received within 5 working days from the date of issue of the clearance certificate at the address below:
Phytosanitary Certificate Section
Note: It is the responsibility of the importer to ensure that any additional documentary processes necessary to clear Customs Control have been completed.
In preparation for Brexit, registered exporters may apply for phytosanitary certification of consignments of plant and plant produce to the UK. The Department requires a minimum of 14 days notice prior to export to enable inspectors to arrange an inspection and allow for any laboratory testing that may be required to be completed. Applicants are required to complete and submit the following information via our online Export Certification System (ECS):
Access the online Phytosanitary Certificate application form here .
Watch this
video guide on the steps required in how to fill out the documentation after registering with us as an exporter for the Export Certification System.
Since 1 January 2021, things have changed for our agri-food industry, particularly for importers and exporters of agri-food products, who have to comply with new customs and regulatory requirements. The finalisation of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, whilst welcome does not replicate the status quo.
Export certification requirements have to be fulfilled on exports to Great Britain. The UK Border Operations Model published in July 2020 and updated on 8 October sets out UK Government’s approach to the administration of customs and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements as the UK will no longer be in the EU Customs Union or Single Market.
Since the 1st of January the UK have set down SPS requirements for high priority plants and plant products, forestry, wood and wood products into Great Britain. The requirements include pre-notification on the UK IT system PEACH and the provision of a phytosanitary certificate).
DAFM has put in place the necessary resources, IT systems and business processes to facilitate trade to Great Britain since 1 January.
The requirements and procedures for exporting the following commodities to Great Britain (GB) from 1 January 2021 are set down below:
• High risk plants, plant products and used machinery
• Forestry, wood & wood products
• From 1 January 2021 consignments of high risk plants, plant products and used machinery exported to GB must be pre-notified to the new UK IT system (PEACH) and accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by DAFM;
• If you are exporting plants, plant products or used machinery from Ireland or intend to export these goods to Great Britain from 1 January, 2021 you are required to register with DAFM;
• Registration can be completed by completing the steps outlined on our website here ;
• If you are already registered with DAFM and have received a Plant Health Registration Number you can check or update your registration for exports by contacting: plantandpests@agriculture.gov.ie ;
• Once registered with DAFM you will receive a Plant Health Registration Number;
• Contact the UK National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO) to confirm the Phytosanitary requirements for your plants or plant products;
• Send details of the consignment requesting Phytosanitary requirements for genus and species to: UKNPPO@defra.gov.uk ;
• Receive an email back which will confirm Phytosanitary requirements;
• The written declaration from the UK NPPO can be used for all subsequent applications of the same genus, species or type of export;
• Applicants are required to apply for a Phytosanitary certificate via the online Export Certification System (ECS); Access the online Phytosanitary Certificate application form here .
• The Department requires a minimum of 14 days’ notice prior to export to enable inspectors to arrange an inspection and allow for any laboratory testing that may be required to be completed. Phytosanitary certificates cannot be issued retrospectively;
• Once you submit your application you will receive an email confirming application and confirming your ECS application reference number;
• Once you receive the scanned copy of the phytosanitary certificate from the Department, you need to send this to the GB based importer who will need to register with PEACH and submit advance notification. This notification must be submitted to PEACH at least 4 hours prior to arrival if travelling by air or Ro-Ro or at least one working day prior to arrival for all other modes of transport;
• Once you receive the original Phytosanitary certificate via post, retain the duplicate for your records and post the original to your UK customer who will send it to UK NPPO (DEFRA);
• Currently no fees charged directly to exporters for provision of certification;
• A full list of procedures related to exports is available on our website here
To apply for an EHC exporters can:
• Access the Export Certification System (ECS) – the new Export Portal for guest users or Users with a login can access the registered version of the Exports Portal via agfood.ie
• Login details will be supplied to registered exporters in the coming weeks.
For information on High risk plant and plant product exports after the 1st of January please click here
Updated trader notices can be found here .
In the event that you have any queries in relation to this matter, please contact this office either by e-mailing plantandpests@agriculture.gov.ie or alternatively by telephone (01)5058885.
• Exporters of regulated forestry plants, wood or wood products from Ireland to Great Britain are required to register for Plant Health with DAFM.
Please contact orestprotection@agriculture.gov.ie . Further information on Registration is available here ;
• All exports of regulated forestry plants, wood or wood products must be accompanied by a Phytosanitary Certificate issued by DAFM;
• Applicants for Phytosanitary Certificates are required to complete their application and submit their export information via the online Export Certification System (ECS); Application through Single Sign On (SSO) is recommended for regular exporters while an anonymous portal is also available which is suitable for one-off or irregular exporters.
• The application should include any additional declaration as required by the National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) of the UK in the appropriate field on the application;
• The exporter will need to request the phytosanitary certificate from DAFM 14 days in advance of export using the ECS system;
• The exporter is required to submit an application for a phytosanitary certificate for each consignment. (Note a consignment may comprise of one or a number of (truck) loads);
• The phytosanitary certificate may be posted and/or scanned and emailed to the exporter;
• Once the exporter receives the scanned copy of the phytosanitary certificate it can be sent to the importer in Great Britain as they will need to submit this as part of pre-notification process;
• No fee is charged directly to exporters for provision of Phytosanitary Certification.
• The importer in Great Britain must provide advance notification to the Authorities in Great Britain using the PEACH system at least 4 working hours prior to arrival for roll-on-roll-off consignments.
Further detail is available the following link:
Queries in relation to this or any other aspect of the importation of wood and timber can be sent to forestprotection@agriculture.gov.ie
For Export of Potatoes Only
Potato Export Grower Information Form
Please complete the attached form and upload with your online application together with the other appropriate documentation where required.
BCP Designation Ireland
BCPs designated for animals, products of animal origin, composite products, germinal products, animal by-products, hay and straw referred to in Article 47(1)(a) and (b) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 or covered by conditions or measures referred to in Article 47(1)(d), (e) or (f) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625
What phytosanitary certificates are
A phytosanitary certificate is a legal document issued by the NPPO (National Plant Protection Organization) of the country of export for goods and commercial consignments of plant origin certifying that they are free from certain / specified harmful and quarantine pests and diseases. Click here to see an example of a phytosanitary certificate.
What to do when you wish to import regulated plants and plant products into Ireland from a third country and want to get a phytosanitary certificate for these products
Contact the competent authority or NPPO (National Plant Protection Organization) of the country of origin of the goods. A link to contact details can be found here . Alternatively your seller in the country of origin can arrange this locally with the competent authority.
What a third country is
A third country is referred to in EU treaties as a country that is not a member of the European Union. When the UK left the European Union it became a third country.
You are working for a retail multiple and import a number of consignments of plants per week into Ireland from GB. Do you need to get a phytosanitary certificate from each supplier of plants, or will one phytosanitary certificate cover the entire consignment?
It is the NPPO (National Plant Protection Organization) of GB who issue phytosanitary certificates for consignments of plants and plant products for export to countries outside their jurisdiction. Consignments of plants and plant products travelling from third countries are typically accompanied by one phytosanitary certificate that covers the entire consignment. However, it is up to the GB authorities to decide how many phytosanitary certificates they issue. Please note that in situations where we receive multiple phytosanitary certificates for a consignment, it will result in processing delays.
Your company imports plants for planting from GB in grouped consignments. When the UK leaves the EU, will fees be charged for the entire consignment?
You will only be charged for the plants and plant products element of the consignment as set out in the fees section on this page.
Your company imports plants for plating from GB and EU member states in grouped consignments. When the UK leaves the EU, will you require a phytosanitary certificate for the entire consignment?
No, a phytosanitary certificate will only be required for the plants and plant products that were produced in the UK. The plants and plant products that were produced in another EU member state will be considered to be transit goods and will continue to be covered under the plant passport system.
In the event of a grouped consignment containing regulated plants and plant products the Department may have to carry out a full strip/breakdown of the container/side curtain/refer. To ensure speedy processing we encourage importers to ensure that the regulated plants and plant products in the consignment are easily accessible to enable the phytosanitary inspectors to carry out their work in an efficient manner and avoid having to carry out a full strip/breakdown.
When importing plants and plant products from the UK you will have certain obligations to fulfil from a customs perspective. Please click here for more details .
What SAD is
SAD stands for Single Administrative Document which is a form used for customs declarations in the EU. Please click here for more details.
What a CN code is and where to find the correct CN code for a product
CN stands for combined nomenclature. It is the common nomenclature of the EU and is an 8 digit product classification of goods in export declarations to meet the requirements of Common Customs Tariff and the EUs external trade statistics. To find out what CN code applies to your commodity, using the advanced search option, you can access the EU database for CN codes here .
Note also that Bord Bia is running a customs training programme .
Requirements for non-commercial importers bringing cut flowers home from a third country (non-EU)
There are many thousands of species of cut flowers, some are regulated others are not, so it’s not possible to tell you what you need to do until we know the specific details. Please submit your query via email to plantandpests@agriculture.gov.ie
What to do when you note an unusual occurrence of harmful organisms (pests or diseases) on consignments during post import checks
Immediately contact the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine at email address plantandpests@agriculture.gov.ie or by telephone 01-5058885.
What a Plant Passport is
A Plant Passport is an official label issued by the producer and authorised by the competent authority or National Plant Protection Organization(NPPO), which gives evidence that the provisions of the EU Directives relating to plant health standards and special requirements are satisfied and which are:
- standardised at community level for different types of plants or plant products
- issued in accordance with the implementing rules governing the details of the procedure for issuing plant passports
Typically a plant passport can be attached to the plant in the format below or referenced in the associated documentation i.e. the invoice or the delivery docket.
What a protected zone is
It is an area in the Community which has been recognised by the EU as being a:
- zone in which one or more harmful organisms referred to in the Plant Health Directive, which are established in one or more parts of the Community, do not occur despite favourable ecological conditions for them to establish
- zone in which there is danger that certain harmful organisms will establish themselves, given propitious ecological conditions, for particular crops despite the fact that these harmful organisms are not endemic or established in the European Community
Export of Forestry Plants, Wood and Wood Products from Ireland into the UK (Great Britain)
Bulk import of roundwood from Great Britain
Appendix to Trader Notice Bulk import of roundwood from Great Britain
Import requirements for coniferous plants, wood and wood products (including WPM)