Import of animal by-products: Pig bristles

1. Untreated pig bristles are defined, in Article 33 of Regulation (EU) No. 142/2011, as pig bristles, other those which have:

• undergone factory washing
• been obtained from tanning, or
• been treated by another method that ensures that no acceptable risks remain

2. The raw materials used in the production of pig bristles must be sourced from Category 3 materials referred to in Article 10 (b)(iv) in Regulation (EC) No 1069/2009.

3. Pig bristles can be imported provided that they:

• come from an approved country/part of a country
• come from an approved establishment
• are accompanied by and conforms with the requirements of an agreed animal/public health certificate

1. Untreated pig bristles may be exported to the EU from Third Countries or parts of a Third Country listed in Part 1 of Annex II to Regulation (EU) No 206/2010, which are free of African swine fever for the 12 months prior to the date of importation.

Lists of approved establishments may be found here (Animal by-products: Section III)

2. Treated pig bristles may be exported to the EU from Third Countries or parts of a Third Country listed in Part 1 of Annex II to Regulation (EU) No 206/2010, which may not be free of African swine fever for the 12 months prior to the date of importation.

Lists of approved establishments may be found here (Animal by-products: Section IV)

3. The pig bristles must have been obtained from animals originating and slaughtered in a slaughterhouse in the Third Country of origin.

4. Treated pig bristles have must have been boiled, dyed or bleached.

5. The pigs, from which the pig bristles were obtained, must not have shown during any inspections carried out at the time of slaughtering signs of diseases communicable to humans or animals and were not killed to eradicate any epizootic disease.

1. Pig bristles originating from a Third Country which has not had a case of African Swine Fever in the previous 12 months shall be presented at a Community Border Inspection Post accompanied by a veterinary health certificate, drawn up in conformity with the model certificate found in Chapter 7(A) of Annex XV in Regulation (EU) No. 142/2011.

2. Pig bristles originating from a Third Country which has had one or more cases of African Swine Fever in the previous 12 months shall be presented at a Community Border Inspection Post accompanied by a veterinary health certificate, drawn up in conformity with the model certificate found in Chapter 7(B) of Annex XV in Regulation (EU) No. 142/2011.

3. The certifying veterinarian should ensure that only the relevant paragraphs and, where appropriate, additional guarantees and/or special conditions applicable to the exporting country are included.

1. Consignments of animal by-products entering the EU must be inspected at an EU-approved Border Control Post (BCP) where Member States' official veterinarians ensure they fulfil all the requirements provided for in EU legislation.

2. The operator responsible for the consignment must give the BCP at the intended point of entry advance notification of the arrival of the consignment.

3. There is a required minimum pre-notification notice period of at least 24 hours’ notice in advance of the consignment’s arrival.

4. Failure to submit correct documentation within this timeline may result in significant delays in the consignment being processed through the Border Control Post.

5. Pre-notification is given by the submission of Part 1 of the Common Health Entry Document (CHED-P), as is laid down in Commission Implementing Regulation (EC) No. 2019/1715, through the online TRACES NT system.

6. Other supporting documentation associated with the consignment should be submitted at this time as well - such as the health certificate, invoice, packing list, bill and so on.

1. Providing all the documentation has been submitted correctly and within the correct timeframes, a large proportion of the documentary check can be commenced in advance of the consignment’s arrival. This includes examination of the veterinary certificate and other documents accompanying a consignment.

a. Please note the original hard copy of the health certificate must travel with the consignment, this will be checked and held at the BCP at the point of entry into the EU.

2. Provided all is in order with the documentary check, the consignment will then be subject to an identity check at the BCP to ensure it identifies with the consignment that was declared in the documentation.

3. A proportion of consignments will be selected for a full physical inspection with/without sampling as appropriate.

4. Upon satisfactory completion of the required checks, the decision is entered in Part 2 of the CHED which must accompany the consignment to the first place of destination referred to in the CHED.

5. If the consignment does not meet the import requirements, the consignment may be rejected and either re-exported or destroyed.