Export or move live animals

This guidance applies to businesses in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) exporting or moving live animals to, or through:

You need an export health certificate (EHC) to export live animals.

Follow the rules in this guidance to find out what you need to do.

You need to follow different guidance for:

If you want to export captive birds with an ‘826’ transponder, you must also register them with Defra.

Export or move live animals to the EU or Northern Ireland

Check the export health certificate (EHC) finder to see if a certificate exists for your animal.

If you find an EHC, follow the EHC process to export.

If you cannot find an EHC, you’ll need to contact the competent authority in Northern Ireland or the EU country you’re exporting to, in advance, to find out what:

The competent authority means the equivalent of the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in the EU country you’re exporting to. DAERA is the competent authority in Northern Ireland.

If the competent authority says that you need an EHC, you’ll need to get their import conditions.

Checks at EU BCPs or points of entry in Northern Ireland

You must get your animals and animal products checked at an EU BCP or point of entry in Northern Ireland.

Your goods may be refused entry, seized, destroyed or returned to Great Britain if they arrive at: