Publication
Exporting Minced Meat and Meat Preparations to Great Britain
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
Current UK import requirements will preclude the export of fresh or chilled minced meat or meat preparations from the EU (including Ireland) to Great Britain from 1 January 2022. However, minced meat and meat preparations can be exported to Great Britain if frozen to -18oC and if they meet the other UK import requirements including:
(i) Exporter being on list of approved establishments authorized to export to the UK;
(ii) Consignment pre-notified on the UK’s Import of products, animals, food and feed system IPAFFS and
(iii) Original Export Health Certificate accompanying the load.
European Regulations define minced meat as “boned meat that has been minced into fragments and contains less than 1% salt”. Minced meat retains this definition after it has been formed into burgers as long as no other ingredients are added.
European Regulations define meat preparations as “fresh meat, including meat that has been reduced to fragments, which has had foodstuffs, seasonings, or additives added to it which has undergone processes insufficient to modify the internal muscle fibre structure of the meat and thus to eliminate the characteristics of fresh meat”. This can include, but is not limited to, sausages, hamburgers, meatballs, chicken nuggets and breaded chicken strips. So the key requirement for a meat preparation is that the meat remains largely raw.
The European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 retains Commission Regulation (EU) No 206/2010 in relation to imports of minced meat and Commission Decision 2000/572/EC relating to the imports of meat preparations as direct retained EU legislation. The detail of which can be found in UK Statutory Instruments 2020 No. 1462 ‘The Import of, and Trade in, Animals and Animal Products (Miscellaneous Amendments) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020’.
• Retained Commission Regulation (EU) No 206/2010 specifically sets down the model health certificates which must accompany all fresh meat and minced meat imported into Great Britain. The certificate states that the “[the minced meat has been produced in compliance with Section V of Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 and frozen to an internal temperature of not more than -18oC;”
• Retained Decision 2000/572 specifically sets down the model health certificate which must accompany all meat preparations imported into Great Britain. The certificate states that the “[meat preparations] have been produced in accordance with Section V of Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 and frozen to an internal temperature of not more than - 18 °C”.
UK Regulations do not provide for a certificate which would allow for the export of fresh or chilled minced meat or meat preparations from the EU to Great Britain from 1 January 2022
The UK has indicated that it does not intend to publish a health certificate for chilled minced meat or meat preparations. If the UK does not publish a health certificate for chilled minced meat or meat preparations then the following cannot be exported to Great Britain from the EU, including Ireland, after 1 January 2022
• Fresh or chilled meat preparations of all species,
• Fresh or chilled minced meat of bovine, ovine or porcine origin.
Please note that these changes only apply to trade from Ireland/EU to GB and do not affect trade between Ireland and Northern Ireland. This trade is covered by the Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland as part of the Withdrawal Agreement and will continue as it does currently with no new checks or controls being applied to goods moving between Ireland and Northern Ireland in either direction.
To be on the list of Approved Establishments authorised to export to the UK and to request an Export Health Certificate, please ensure you are registered on TRACES. Please see here for details.
If you have further queries on the export of meat preparations, please contact Brexitcall@agriculture.gov.ie
Details of supports available are here , in particular, Bord Bia’s Brexit Action Plan provides information on market diversification, business continuity, customer relationships, financial resilience and supply chain.