Importing and exporting fresh fruit and vegetables

All fruit and vegetables imported to or exported from the UK must meet the relevant quality and labelling rules.

Importing fruit and vegetables from the EU to Great Britain

Some fruit and vegetables imported from the EU (except the Republic of Ireland) will need to go through plant health controls. Check which goods are affected.

The Horticultural Marketing Inspectorate (HMI) inspects imports in England and Wales. Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) inspects imports in Scotland.

If HMI or SASA decide to check your consignment, they’ll tell you that you need to apply for a GB certificate of conformity for your consignment.

A certificate of conformity shows that the product meets the Specific Marketing Standards for that product.

To apply for a certificate of conformity:

• if you’re importing into England and Wales, use the Procedure for Electronic Application for Certificates from the Horticultural Marketing Inspectorate (PEACH) system
• if you’re importing into Scotland, contact SASA at hort.marketing@gov.scot.

Importing fruit and vegetables from the EU to Great Britain from 1 January 2024

From 1 January 2024, imports from the EU (including the Republic of Ireland) will:

• be checked routinely at the GB border
• need to meet the same requirements as imports from non-EU countries

EU countries, with the current exception of Lithuania, have GB Approved Inspection Service (AIS) status. This means they’ll be able to issue certificates of conformity for all fresh fruit and vegetable products. Products with a certificate of conformity will need fewer checks at the GB border.

See a list of countries with AIS status (and their inspection bodies).

Moving fruit and vegetables from Northern Ireland to Great Britain

To move fruit and vegetables from Northern Ireland to Great Britain, it will need to meet GB marketing standards.

Follow the guidance on moving plants and plant products from Northern Ireland to Great Britain.

Importing fruit and vegetables from the EU to Northern Ireland

To import fruit and vegetables from the EU to Northern Ireland, follow DAERA’s guidance on importing plants and plant products from the EU to Northern Ireland.

Importing fruit and vegetables directly from non-EU countries to Great Britain

All goods that have to meet the Specific Marketing Standards (SMS) need a certificate of conformity before they can enter Great Britain.

You’ll need a GB-issued certificate of conformity unless your SMS consignment meets both of the following criteria:

• it’s from a country that has GB Approved Inspection Service (AIS) status
• it’s accompanied by a valid certificate of conformity issued by the country of production

Non-EU countries with AIS status can issue a certificate of conformity to show that the product meets the SMS. The product must originate from the country issuing the certificate.

Products that enter Great Britain from a country with GB AIS status that are accompanied by a certificate of conformity need fewer checks.

The following non-EU countries have GB AIS status for the following products:

• India (all fresh fruit and vegetables)
• Israel (all fresh fruit and vegetables)
• Kenya (all fresh fruit and vegetables)
• Morocco (all fresh fruit and vegetables)
• New Zealand (apples, pears and kiwi fruit)
• Senegal (all fresh fruit and vegetables)
• South Africa (all fresh fruit and vegetables)
• Switzerland (all fresh fruit and vegetables apart from citrus fruit)
• Turkey (all fresh fruit and vegetables)

If you need AIS details for aone of the listed non-EU country,countries, contact defrahorticulture@defra.gov.uk.

Non-EU countries with AIS status can issue a certificate of conformity to show that the product meets the SMS. The product must originate from the country issuing the certificate.

Products that enter Great Britain from a country with GB AIS status that are accompanied by a certificate of conformity need fewer checks.

HMI inspects imports in England and Wales. SASA inspects imports in Scotland. You must pre-notify HMI on PEACH of your intention to import fruit and vegetables subject to SMS, even if:

• you’re importing from a country that has AIS status
• you have a certificate of conformity that’s issued by that country

HMI or SASA may inspect a small sample of goods from countries with GB AIS status to make sure they comply with the quality and labelling rules.

Some goods that have to meet the General Marketing Standard (GMS) will be checked to make sure they meet quality and labelling requirements. If HMI or SASA decides to check your consignment, you’ll need to apply for a GB-issued certificate of conformity.

To apply for a certificate of conformity:

• if you’re importing to England or Wales, use PEACH
• if you’re importing to Scotland, contact SASA at hort.marketing@gov.scot

Check if you need a phytosanitary certificate to import fruit and vegetables into Great Britain.

If you’re importing fruit and vegetables to Northern Ireland, read DAERA’s guidance on importing plants and plant products.

Upcoming changes to PEACH

In 2023, the PEACH system will be changing to a new IT system called the import of products, animals, food and feed system (IPAFFS).

You’ll get an invitation to register for IPAFFS. You should continue to use PEACH for import pre-notifications until then.

High-priority goods

If you import high-priority products, both the Plant Health and Seed Inspectorate (PHSI) and HMI (in England and Wales) will inspect your goods more than once. They’ll check that they meet quality and labelling rules (marketing standards) and plant health regulations.

Read guidance on high-priority goods and how to import them to the UK.

Importing fruit and vegetables from non-EU countries to Great Britain via the EU

Horticultural inspectors are continuing to assess fruit and vegetables travelling in transit from non-EU countries through the EU to Great Britain to:

• determine whether an inspection is required at the border
• make sure that they comply with GB marketing standards

HMI and PHSI may check produce regulated by both GB marketing standards and plant health regulations in England and Wales. SASA carry out inspections on produce in Scotland.

HMI and PHSI carry out most quality and labelling (marketing standards) checks at the border. PHSI may check produce at inland plant health facilities.

If you import fruit and vegetables into Great Britain from a non-EU country and a proportion of your consignment is re-exported to the EU, your consignment needs to undergo both import and export processes.

Importing green bananas from the EU and non-EU countries to Great Britain

You’ll need an inspection certificate to import green bananas to Great Britain. To import green bananas to Great Britain, you must:

• notify HMI on PEACH if you’re importing into England and Wales
• contact SASA at hort.marketing@gov.scot if you’re importing into Scotland

HMI or SASA may inspect your consignment at the border.

From 1 January 2024:

• you’ll need an inspection certificate to import green bananas from the EU to Great Britain
• HMI and SASA will inspect all green banana imports from the EU routinely, in the same way as non-EU imports

To apply for an inspection certificate:

• use PEACH if you’re importing to England or Wales
• contact SASA at hort.marketing@gov.scot if you’re importing to Scotland

If you’re an exempt trader, you will:

• be exempt for the period that your exemption certificate remains valid
• not need a GB inspection certificate when importing green bananas

You’ll need to notify HMI about your consignment on PEACH, or contact SASA if you are in Scotland. Both exempt traders and traders that are not exempt must do this.

To check your exemption status, email:

• HMI at peachenquiries@apha.gov.uk if you’re in England or Wales
• SASA at hort.marketing@gov.scot if you’re in Scotland

Contact DAERA for guidance on importing green bananas to Northern Ireland.

Exporting fruit and vegetables from Great Britain to the EU

You need a phytosanitary certificate to export some fruit and vegetables from Great Britain to the EU.

If you’re exporting goods that are covered by Specific Marketing Standards (SMS), you may need a certificate of conformity for your goods to get customs clearance in Great Britain.

You do not need a certificate of conformity for goods covered by General Marketing Standards (GMS) to get customs clearance in Great Britain. If an importing EU member state requests a certificate of conformity for GMS goods, you can apply for this in Great Britain.

If you’re in England or Wales, you can apply for a certificate of conformity using the apply for plant export certificates and inspections service. In Scotland, you should apply to SASA for this certification.

You can apply for a phytosanitary certificate and a certificate of conformity at the same time using this service.

You may also need an import certificate of conformity that’s issued at entry to the EU by the importing member state. This depends on the member state’s risk assessment for GMS and SMS goods.

The European Commission has granted the UK AIS status for fruit and vegetables.

AIS status allows GB exporters of produce grown in Great Britain to use a GB-issued certificate of conformity when getting customs clearance in the EU. A sample of consignments may be checked before they’re imported into the EU, to make sure there’s conformity with EU marketing standards.

The AIS scheme can only be used for produce grown in Great Britain. The scheme cannot be used for re-exports of third country produce from Great Britain to the EU. Re-exports of third country produce are subject to the EU’s third country import requirements.

Approved Trader Scheme (ATS)

Approved trader status means you’re identified as lower risk and will receive fewer conformity checks.

You can get approved trader status if:

• you’re a grower, packer, importer or exporter
• your business consistently meets marketing standards requirements

If you’re part of the ATS in Great Britain, you must remove the EU emblem from your UK food labels and use the replacement GB label. You should only sell your existing stock with the EU emblem in Great Britain, until your existing labels run out.

The GB label must contain the following:

• “marketing standard for fresh fruit and vegetables”
• number of the approved trader
• “Great Britain” or “GB”

For more information about ATS, contact:

• HMI by emailing aphahmiatsapproval@apha.gov.uk (England and Wales)
• SASA’s Horticulture and Marketing Unit by emailing hort.marketing@gov.scot (Scotland)

If you’re part of the ATS in Northern Ireland, you can continue to use the EU ATS label.

Moving fruit and vegetables from Great Britain to Northern Ireland

Fruit and vegetables moved from Great Britain to Northern Ireland need to enter through designated points of entry and meet EU import marketing standards requirements.

A risk-based approach applies to controls on fruit and vegetables from Great Britain at points of entry in Northern Ireland. In line with the very low risk posed by GB goods, SMS and GMS goods can be released into free circulation (declared and customs duties paid) in Northern Ireland without needing a GB-issued certificate of conformity. This may change on the basis of risk.

For more information, read guidance on moving goods into, out of or through Northern Ireland.

Exporting fruit and vegetables from Northern Ireland to the EU

To export fruit and vegetables from Northern Ireland to the EU, follow the guidance on exporting plants and plant products from Northern Ireland to the EU.

Exporting fruit and vegetables directly from the UK to non-EU countries

You must check that you meet the quality and labelling rules for the country you’re exporting to before sending your consignment.

SMS products may need a GB-issued certificate of conformity to get customs clearance in Great Britain.

GMS goods do not need a GB-issued certificate of conformity to get customs clearance in Great Britain.

Most fruit and vegetables need a phytosanitary certificate before they’re exported from the UK to a non-EU country. You can save time by applying for a phytosanitary certificate and a certificate of conformity at the same time. If you want to apply for both certificates at the same time, apply for the phytosanitary application first.

If you’re exporting fruit and vegetables to Northern Ireland, read DAERA’s guidance on exporting plants and plant products.

Exporting green bananas from the UK to the EU and non-EU countries

You do not need an inspection or exemption certificate for green bananas to clear UK customs.

You must check that you meet the quality and labelling rules for the country you’re exporting to before sending your consignment.

You can check each country’s rules by either:

• talking to your importer
• getting help researching your export market

Rejected goods

You’ll need to submit a PEACH application requesting a certificate of conformity for SMS goods, if both of the following conditions apply:

• your consignment of SMS products is rejected by the EU
• you want these products released into GB free circulation (declared and customs duties paid)

If both of these conditions apply to your consignment of GMS products, you may need to submit a PEACH application requesting a certificate of conformity for GMS goods. You should follow the import procedures for GMS goods.

If you want your consignment to return to Scotland, contact SASA Horticulture and Marketing Unit at hort.marketing@gov.scot.

If you need help

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