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Customs Wise

Importing and exporting POAO in the UK and Ireland

A guide to products of animal origin: health certificates, CHED-P, IPAFFS and TRACES pre-notifications, and veterinary checks at the Border Control Post.

Products of animal origin (POAO), such as meat, dairy, eggs, fish, honey and certain composite foods, are treated differently from other goods when they cross borders. In addition to standard customs declarations, they require health certificates, pre-notifications and veterinary checks at an approved Border Control Post (BCP) before they can be released.

At Customs Wise, complex food customs is our core business. Most of our work is food-related, with a strong focus on POAO movements into Great Britain and Ireland. We handle the full process: checking health certificates and phytosanitary certificates, raising CHED forms, submitting pre-notifications in IPAFFS and TRACES, and coordinating inspections at the BCP with Port Health and the HSE.

What are products of animal origin (POAO)?

Products of animal origin are foods derived from animals that are intended for human consumption. Common examples include:

  • Meat and meat products (beef, pork, poultry, game, cured and processed meats)
  • Dairy products and milk
  • Eggs and egg products
  • Fishery products and shellfish
  • Honey and apiculture products
  • Gelatine, collagen and certain highly refined products
  • Composite products containing processed animal ingredients

Because these goods can carry animal disease risks and food safety hazards, regulators apply stricter controls than for standard goods. For commercial POAO imports you can typically expect:

  • An official health certificate (or export health certificate) issued by the competent authority in the country of dispatch
  • Mandatory pre-notification in the relevant system before arrival
  • A Common Health Entry Document (CHED) for the consignment. POAO require a CHED-P.
  • Veterinary checks (documentary, identity and, where required, physical checks) at a designated BCP before release to the market

Border Control Posts and veterinary checks

All POAO entering Great Britain from the EU and non-EU countries, and entering Ireland from non-EU countries, must pass through an approved Border Control Post. The BCP is where Port Health (in GB) or the HSE and Department of Agriculture (in Ireland) carry out official SPS controls.

A typical veterinary check has three elements:

  1. Documentary checks: verifying that the health certificate, CHED, invoice and other documents are complete, consistent and compliant.
  2. Identity checks: confirming that the physical consignment matches the paperwork (product type, weight, marks, packaging, labelling).
  3. Physical checks: where required, inspecting the goods, checking temperatures and, in some cases, taking samples for laboratory analysis.

Only once the CHED is finalised as "cleared" by the BCP can the goods move into free circulation. Any mismatch between the health certificate, CHED forms and the actual load can lead to holds, additional testing or refusal of entry.

UK pre-notifications: IPAFFS and CHED forms

In Great Britain, all commercial imports of POAO must be pre-notified using the Import of Products, Animals, Food and Feed System (IPAFFS). This applies to arrivals from both the EU and non-EU countries.

When to notify: as a general rule, submit the IPAFFS pre-notification at least 24 hours before arrival for most POAO. For some movements, such as certain Ro-Ro ferry traffic, a shorter minimum of 4 to 6 hours may apply, but plan for the 24-hour window to avoid late fees or delays.

POAO imports into Ireland: TRACES and HSE controls

For Ireland, the equivalent process runs through the EU's TRACES NT system. Importers and their agents create a CHED-P in TRACES, link it to the relevant health certificate (and, for fish, the CATCH entry), and submit it for verification by the HSE or Department of Agriculture before arrival at the BCP. In practice:

  • The CHED-P is created and submitted in TRACES NT by the importer or their representative.
  • Supporting documents (health certificate, invoice, packing list, transport details) are attached.
  • The competent authority reviews the file and, once satisfied, the CHED can be used at the BCP alongside the customs declaration.
  • Any issues flagged during veterinary checks are recorded in TRACES, and the consignment cannot be cleared until the CHED status is updated to "cleared".

As with the UK, consistency between the health certificate, CHED forms and the physical goods is critical to avoid delays.

How Customs Wise supports POAO traders

Because most of our business is food and POAO-focused, we have built our processes around the realities of IPAFFS, TRACES and BCP operations in both Great Britain and Ireland. Our team routinely:

  • Reviews health certificates and phytosanitary certificates (for composite products) to ensure they meet current UK and EU requirements
  • Raises CHED forms in IPAFFS (for GB) and TRACES (for Ireland), keeping product codes, weights and certificate references consistent
  • Manages pre-notifications within the correct time windows to avoid late fees and prevent holds at the BCP
  • Coordinates veterinary checks with Port Health and the HSE, responding quickly to queries or additional sampling requests
  • Aligns the CHED, customs declaration and any sector-specific entries (such as CATCH for fish) so that every system tells the same story about the consignment

We support importers of meat, dairy, eggs, fish, honey, gelatine, composite products and more, moving goods from the EU, UK and third countries. If your business relies on smooth, compliant POAO imports, we can act as your dedicated customs and regulatory partner for both Great Britain and Ireland.