Transport of animals, plants, alcohol, tobacco, cigarettes and other goods when travelling in the European Union
- Published on: 8 November 2020
- Last updated on: 11 April 2025
Animals
If you want to import or export animals or products of animal origin (including fish) from or to the UK (excluding NI) from 1 January 2021 you must be registered with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Furthermore, importers will also need to be registered on TRACES, an EU Commission system for the electronic completion of documentation required for imports of certain consignments from third countries.
Plants
To protect human health, plant health and the environment, EU rules restrict the import of certain goods from third countries including some plants, plant products and wood packaging.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine will play a key role in implementing EU law in this instance. This will include performing the necessary checks and controls and processing the necessary authorisations and licences when importing from the UK.