Export Health Certificates

What is an Export Health Certificate?

Export Health Certificates (EHC) may be required by food manufacturers/exporters who wish to export food of an animal origin to countries outside of Great Britain commonly referred to as third countries.

These certificates confirm that a specific business complies with all relevant legislation and the food produced is without risk to health.

Dependent on the destination importing country and the commodity type an EHC may have to be sourced from the Animal Plant Health Agency (APHA) or East Riding of Yorkshire Council, depending what is being exported and to where. To determine this, please contact the APHA by:

Email: liveanimalexports.carlisle@apha.gsi.gov.uk 

Telephone: 01228 403600 Option 2, or visit their website:

GOV.UK - Export Health Certificates (external website)

If a certificate is being issued from the APHA this is likely to be signed by a vet (commonly for meat and dairy products), although fishery products, eggs and certain composite products may be certified by a local authority EHO.

The APHA may also inform you there is an EHC template in place; depending on where the food is being exported to this may require you to complete and submit an application form to the APHA or where appropriate to contact East Riding Council who can source and issue this. When submitting an application form to the APHA, East Riding Council should also be contacted to inform them of the planned export.

In some cases, there will not be an EHC template, where this occurs the council can assist with the production of a none-template EHC.

In all cases, the council advises the relevant countries embassy or consulate, food authority, as well as the importer, be liaised with by the food manufacturers/exporters to find out about any import conditions and if the certificate meets the stipulated requirements.

The typical information required for the application which will be displayed on the certificate is as follows:

• Manufacturer
• Minimum durability
• Storage conditions
• Approval number
• Consignor
• Consignee
• Destination
• Product
• Quantity
• Country of origin
• Date of production
• Packaging
• Batch number. 

It must be noted, however, that it is the exporter's responsibility to ensure that the destination country's requirements are met.

Once the applicable certificate has been arranged, East Riding of Yorkshire Council will then contact the business to arrange a suitable time and date to view the consignment in order to undertake relevant checks and view any associated documents such as HACCP monitoring records and laboratory test reports, etcetera. Once this has been completed, the certificate will be issued.

How much does an Export Health Certificate cost?

The charge is dependent on the officer time required to issue the export certificate. A summary of charges can be viewed in the document below:

Food Services Fees and Charges (pdf 111kb)

How long does it take to process an Export Health Certificate?

It usually takes three to five working days to process the certificate.

Who do I contact to request an Export Health Certificate?

To request an Export Health Certificate please complete the Export Health Certificate Request Form and return it to us giving at least 5 working days notice to:

Email: exporthealthcert@eastriding.gov.uk. 

This email address can also be used for any other queries relating to Export Certificates. 

Export Heath Certificate Request Form (pdf 77kb)

How do I request an Export Certificate or Official Certificate for Animal Feed?

Export Certificates may be required by feed manufacturers/exporters who wish to export feed to countries outside of Great Britain commonly referred to as third countries.

Dependent on the country of destination, commodity type an export certificate may have to be sourced from the Animal Plant Health Agency (APHA) or East Riding of Yorkshire Council.

To determine this, please contact the APHA by:

Email: liveanimalexports.carlisle@apha.gsi.gov.uk

Telephone: 01228 403600 Option 2, or visit their website:

GOV.UK - Animal & Plant Health Agency (external website)

If a certificate is being issued by the APHA this is likely to be signed by a vet (commonly for feed of animal origin), whereas feed of non-animal origin may be certified by a local authority TSO.

The charge is dependent on the officer time required to issue the export certificate and is covered in How much does an Export Health Certificate cost?

Request an export certificate for feed is covered in Who do I contact to request an Export Health certificate?