Milk and milk product exports

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You may apply to export milk and milk products following the link to Start your Export Health Certificate Application at the end of the page. Here, on this page, you will find guidance and templates to help you make your application.

Before you start

Requirements Depending on Destination

GB Trade

Movement of dairy product or ingredients from NI to GB does not require certification. However if those products are due to be further processed and exported from GB to EU/NI, then a support health attestation (SHA) may be required.

The GB importer should liaise with their GB certifying officer to establish the requirements and inform the NI exporter of those.

More in the link here at the DAERA Support Health Attestation (SHA) webpages

Note: Applications for SHAs should be made on the SHA online system only, not DECOL.

EU Trade

Exports of milk or dairy products to an EU Member State do not require an export health certificate.

If the importer of NI dairy products in an EU Member State intends to export the dairy ingredients or product onwards to a third country outside the EU, then the EU importer may require a backing certificate, EHC 0001.

This and its guidance are available here:

 Export Health Certificates (EHCs) not available on Form Finder under destination “EU”.

You will use DECOL to upload the applications for these certificates. 

A list of EU Member States is here: European Union (EU) Member States | Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (daera-ni.gov.uk)

Third Country Trade

Third Country trade describes trade outside the EU.

If a third country has agreed to accept dairy product from the UK, an Export Health Certificate and its associated Guidance is available in Form Finder

Find an export health certificate - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Please note a small number of EHCs are not available on Form Finder. These are currently available here:

As well, please be aware that some third countries require that the dairy manufacturing establishment/s is/are approved by the third country as well as the EU. In those cases, the process to gain third country approval usually takes months to complete. When required, an Export Health Certificate cannot be completed until this is in place.

Further information regarding third country certification for all commodities may be found at Northern Ireland to Third Country Exports Information.

You will use DECOL to upload applications for third country export health certificates. First, you will need to select the appropriate EHC. If one is not available, please contact Trade.Exports@daera-ni.gov.uk.

Then, you must complete the Export Health Certificate (EHC) application and Exporter Declaration. The application is essentially the EHC with fillable fields that the applicant must complete and upload to DECOL.

If you decide to select a Supplementary Statement or require a Schedule for additional space, you must also upload these documents with your application.

You must use the current version of the EHC, Exporter Declaration and supporting documents; there are links to those below.

When Guidance is available beside the certificate, please read it carefully, including the Scope within it, to check that the Export Health Certificate (EHC) applies to your commodity. 

You should also check if you are required to carry out tests, obtain import permits or importing authority approvals, which must be obtained from the importing authorities prior to applying for an EHC. These must be uploaded along with all other application documents via DECOL.

Obtaining an EHC

You may obtain the EHC application via the Defra form finder. Guidance on using the tool is available in the DECOL exporter’s instructions at the link below:

If you need digital help to complete an application for an Export Health Certificate (EHC) please contact your regional DAERA Direct Office for assistance.

Please note that some EHC applications are not available on Form Finder. These are currently available via the link below:

If you need an EHC for one of these countries please download and complete the relevant EHC application for that Country. Upload this to DECOL via the “Yes-certificate complete and ready to upload” flow.

Exporters should review the Notes for Guidance for each certificate (available via the Defra Form Finder) to ascertain if product is eligible for export. You should also check if you need to obtain import permits or importing authority approvals. Where needed, these should be obtained from the importing authorities prior to applying for an EHC and uploaded along with all other application documents via DECOL.

Schedule for Additional Product Information

If there is insufficient space on the EHC application to record full product details you need to complete a schedule and submit this with your application. Do not use if not essential. The schedule and instructions for completion are available using the link below:

Seals: Guidance for Remote Certification for Dairy Exports

Dairy exporters should be aware of the procedure that exporters are required to follow for seal numbers that are inserted on Export Health Certificates (EHCs). Seal numbers may need to be removed from EHCs if the required supporting evidence is not provided. Please follow the link below for more detailed guidance.

Supplementary Statements

These are not official requirements of the importing authorities.

It is up to the exporter to decide if they want to upload one or more of these. If so, please complete and upload the statement(s) along with your EHC application.

If you need an accompanying Supplementary Statement(s) you should review the guidance below:

There are six supplementary certificates available to support your dairy export. These are:

Exporter’s Declaration

There are 2 Exporter’s declarations, one for export of Raw Milk to ROI and one for all other dairy products. Please select the appropriate declaration for your exporter using the link below:

Start your Export Health Certificate application

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