Publication

Export Certification

From: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on: 3 March 2022
Last updated on: 15 April 2025

Export Certification – Introduction
Role of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Applying for Official Export Certification
eCertification
Further Information
TRACES User Guide - Generating Export Health Certificates
Export Health Certificate FAQ: Most Common Errors/Problems

Export Certification – Introduction

Ireland has an international reputation as a producer of safe, nutritious food, and having world-class traceability systems in our agri-food sector. To support and facilitate agri-food trade in international markets the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and other state agencies negotiate the conditions for Irish business to access those markets, and where required by those importing markets, we may provide official certification for certain agri-food commodities being exported.

Export certification provides the necessary assurance to the importing country’s governments and regulatory agencies in relation to Ireland’s status as a safe, secure, and sustainable source of agri-food products.

Role of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Our role in certification is related to certain commodities where we have expertise, and we work closely with colleagues in other State agencies and Government Departments who have expertise for other commodities.

DAFM has competency in a number of commodities, including

• live animals,

• products of animal origin (including dairy, meat, eggs, honey and related products),

• animal by-products

• plants and plant products (including wood and forestry products),

DAFM’s certifying officers verify that the goods meet the requirements prescribed by the certificate – whether negotiated and agreed at EU level for all Member States, at a bilateral level between Ireland and another country, or more generally at international level.

Trading inside the EU - INTRA-Trade Certification

Intra-trade certification is required for live animals, germinal products and certain products of animal origin and animal by-products being traded across the European Union. Intra trade certification is a key tool in relation to animal health surveillance, disease eradication & disease control measures, as well as in contingency planning and raising disease awareness.

Trading with non-EU countries - Export Certification

Export certification is not a requirement of EU or national legislation. Where export certification is required, the function of DAFM is to ensure that all the conditions of certification are met prior to export. These conditions relate to the sanitary and phytosanitary measures that must be in place, provide a traceability record for the goods being exported, and are generally set by the country of import.

Applying for Official Export Certification

TRACES

TRACES is the European Commission's online platform for sanitary and phytosanitary certification.

TRACES is used for

- Intra-Trade certificates for consignments of live animals and certain products of animal origin to and from other EU-Member states; and

- Export Health Certificates to Great Britain for Meat & meat products, dairy & dairy products, table eggs, animal by-products & honey

TRACES is also used to generate Common Health Entry Documents (CHEDs) required for the importation of animals, animal products, food and feed of non-animal origin and plants into the European Union.

Electronic Certification System

ECS is used for

- Export Health Certificates for Plants and Plant Products; and

- Catch certificates for fishery products

Dairy Produce Certification System

DPCS is one of DAFM’s online platforms for sanitary and phytosanitary certification

- Export Health Certificates for dairy products for all third countries (non-EU) except Great Britain.

eCertification

eCertification allows for certificates to be exchanged electronically, between the local operators applying for the certificate, the certifying officer of the competent authority approving the certificate for export, and internationally to the competent authority approving the certificate for import.

eCertification removes the need for paper certificates to travel with the consignment. Certifying officers are not required to stamp and sign the paper document.

With eCertification, the original legal document is the electronic version; a paper document is not required. The electronic document (eCertificate) contains a unique identifier, a QR code, and a specific mark to show it has been approved electronically.

eCertification aims to ensure the integrity, traceability, and legal value of the digital documents.

Status of eCertification to other EU-Member States

Consignments that require certification to travel to another EU Member-state can be completed in a fully digital process on the TRACES platform.

All INTRA certificates on TRACES can be applied for, approved, and issued without the need for paper documents.

Status of eCertification to the UK

Since 1 January 2022, the UK’s plant health authorities are accepting PDF versions of phytosanitary e-certificates issued in TRACES

Since 1 November 2022, the UK’s veterinary authorities are accepting PDF versions of health e-certificates issued in TRACES