Guidance

Import risk categories for animal and animal product imports from the EU to Great Britain: summary tables

Updated 26 March 2024

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

These tables give a summary of how different types of animals and animal products will be categorised.

To look up the risk categories for specific commodity codes, use the separate BTOM risk categories for animal and animal product imports from the EU to Great Britain: searchable list with commodity codes.

Risk factors will be reviewed regularly. Commodities may be moved into higher or lower BTOM risk categories in future to reflect changing levels of risk.

1. Live animals, germinal products and live aquatics

Table 1. Live animal and germinal products

Commodity BTOM risk category Comments
Live animals, including live aquatic animals (see note 1) High Live aquatic animals include live fish and animals for ornamental, aquaculture and re-stocking purposes, and their germinal products.
Bees High None
Germinal products, including hatching eggs High None

Note 1

Live aquatic animals imported for human consumption (for example, crabs, lobster or live bivalve molluscs) are categorised as a products of animal origin. The BTOM risk categories for these products are in table 2e. Live fish are categorised as live animals and the categorisations in table 1 apply.

2. Products of animal origin (POAO)

References to Category II in the tables below relate to Annex I of Retained EU Regulation 2019/2129.

Table 2a. All POAO

Commodity BTOM risk category Comments
POAO that are shelf stable at ambient temperature Low (if it meets the listed criteria) The product is low risk if it meets all of the criteria listed below the table.

Products of animal origin (POAO)

A POAO commodity will be in the low BTOM risk category if it meets all of the following criteria:

  • it is shelf-stable at ambient temperature
  • it has undergone a treatment step or other processing in its manufacture (for example, canning) to eliminate or reduce micro-organisms of concern to an acceptable level
  • it is clearly identified as intended for human consumption
  • it is securely packaged or sealed in visibly clean containers
  • it is labelled in English and accompanied by a commercial document providing information on the nature of the commodity, the quantity and number of packages, the country of origin, the manufacturer and the ingredients
  • it is not infant formula or follow-on formula, baby food, or food for special medical purposes
  • it is not bivalve molluscs

Table 2b. Composite products

Commodity BTOM risk category Comments
Composite products Low Composite products currently exempted from official controls under Article 6 of Commission Decision 2007/275/EC will continue to be fully exempt and will not be placed in the low BTOM risk category.

Composite products

Composite products have been placed in the low BTOM risk category from January 2024, pending further risk assessments. Any changes to these BTOM risk categories will not take place before April 2024. We will communicate with traders well in advance of any changes to commodity categorisation.

Table 2c. Dairy products and milk

Commodity BTOM risk category Comments
Milk for human consumption Medium None
Dairy products and colostrum-based products for human consumption, preserved at frozen or chilled temperatures (Category II) – which contain raw milk Medium None
Non-raw dairy products and colostrum-based products for human consumption, which are preserved at frozen or chilled temperatures (Category II) (see note 2) Low For the purposes of the BTOM, ‘non-raw’ dairy products are products containing milk which has been subject to pasteurisation or an equivalent or higher level of treatment (for example, UHT processing).
Dairy products and colostrum-based products for human consumption, other than those mentioned in Category II Low None

Note 2

These commodities have been placed in the low BTOM risk category from January 2024, pending further risk assessments. Any changes to these BTOM risk categories will not take place before April 2024. We will communicate with traders well in advance of any changes to commodity categorisation.

Table 2d. Eggs and egg products

Commodity BTOM risk category
Eggs for human consumption Medium
Egg products for human consumption which are preserved at frozen or chilled temperatures (Category II) Medium
Egg products for human consumption, other than those mentioned in Category II Low

Table 2e. Fishery products and bivalve molluscs

Commodity BTOM risk category Comments
Fishery products, other than those mentioned in Category II, and other than wild caught fishery products (defined below the table) Medium See the BTOM definition of fishery products below this table.
Fishery products from aquaculture and bivalve molluscs for human consumption, which are not in hermetically sealed containers intended to render them stable at ambient temperature (Category II) Medium See the BTOM definition of fishery products below this table.
Wild caught fishery products Low (if it meets the listed criteria) The criteria for wild caught fishery products are listed below this table.

Fishery products: definition

‘Fishery products’ are defined in Annex I of retained EU regulation 853/2004 and include:

  • fin fish and their products (excluding live fish)
  • aquatic animals (for example, crabs and lobsters) or their products, fit for human consumption and imported as products of animal origin (including live or viable aquatic animals)

Bivalve molluscs (live or processed) are treated separately for the purposes of the BTOM and will be medium risk in all cases.

Wild caught fishery products: criteria

A wild caught fishery product will be in the low BTOM risk category if it meets the following criteria:

  • it is not live or would be unable to survive if returned to the environment (‘not viable’)
  • it comes from an approved establishment and is identified accordingly
  • it has not been subject to processing, as defined in Article 2 of Retained EU Regulation 852/2004 – for example, by heating, curing, smoking, maturing, drying, marinating, extraction, extrusion or a combination of these
  • it is accompanied by the required illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) documents, for example, a valid catch certificate and proof of storage and processing, where applicable
  • it is not fish that is associated with histamine (that is, species of the families Scombridae, Clupeidae, Engraulidae, Coryfenidae, Pomatomidae or Scombresosidae)

If it does not meet all these criteria, the fish will be in one of the other ‘fishery products’ commodity types and categorised as medium risk.

Fishery products that have undergone an operation affecting their anatomical wholeness (for example, gutting, heading, slicing, filleting or chopping) and otherwise meet the definition of an ‘unprocessed product’ outlined in Article 2 of Retained EU Regulation 852/2004 (including if they have been chilled or frozen), may still be classed as wild caught if the other criteria listed above apply.

Table 2f. Gelatine, collagen and highly refined products

Commodity BTOM risk category
Gelatine and collagen Low
Highly refined products for human consumption Low

Table 2g. Honey and apiculture products

Commodity BTOM risk category
Apiculture products for human consumption Medium
Honey Low

Table 2h. Meat, meat preparations and meat products

Commodity BTOM risk category
Meat other than meat mentioned in Category II, and meat products derived from such meat, for human consumption Medium
Minced meat, mechanically separated meat and meat preparations for human consumption (Category II) Medium
Poultry meat and poultry meat products for human consumption Medium
Rabbit meat, game meat, and their meat products for human consumption Medium
Rendered animal fat and greaves for human consumption Low

Table 2i. Other POAO

Commodity  BTOM risk category  Comments
Infant formula, follow-on formula, food for special medical purposes (FSMP) and baby food Medium, regardless of product type. Medium risk due to the vulnerability of the intended consumers.

Composite products currently exempted from official controls under Article 6 of Commission Decision 2007/275/EC will continue to be fully exempt.

3. Animal by-products (ABP)

Table 3a. Animal protein

Commodity BTOM risk category
Hydrolysed protein for use outside the feed chain Low  
Hydrolysed protein for use in animal feed Medium  
Processed animal protein (terrestrial) not for human consumption, for use in animal feed Medium  
Processed animal protein (aquatic) not for human consumption, for use in animal feed Medium  
Animal protein (insects) not for human consumption, for use outside the feed chain Low  
Processed animal protein (insects) not for human consumption, for use in animal feed Medium  
Processed animal protein not for human consumption, for use outside the feed chain Medium  

Table 3b. Blood and blood products

Commodity BTOM risk category
Treated blood, blood products, for use in animal feed Medium
Treated blood, blood products from equine, for use outside the feed chain Low
Untreated blood, blood products from equine, for use outside the feed chain Medium
Treated bloods excluding equine, for use outside the feed chain Low
Untreated blood, blood products excluding equine, for use outside the feed chain Medium

Table 3c. Fats

Commodity BTOM risk category Comments
Fat derivatives for use outside the feed chain Low Channelling required (see note 3).
Fat derivatives for use in animal feed Medium None
Rendered fats not for human consumption, for use in animal feed Medium None
Rendered fats not for human consumption, for use outside the feed chain Low Channelling required (see note 3).

Table 3d. Gelatine and collagen

Commodity BTOM risk category Comments
Gelatine or collagen not intended for human consumption, for use in animal feed Medium None
Gelatine or collagen not intended for human consumption, for use outside the feed chain Low Channelling required for photogelatine (gelatine for use in the photographic industry) (see note 3).

Table 3e. Hides and skins

Commodity BTOM risk category
Treated hides and skins (excluding items that are not subject to any import restrictions) Low
Untreated hides and skins Medium

Table 3f. Horns and trophies

Commodity BTOM risk category Comments
Horn product for organic fertilisers Low Channelling required (see note 3).
Treated game trophies (excluding items that are not subject to any import restrictions) Low Items not subject to any import restrictions are set out in Import Information Note ABP/6c.

Table 3g. Milk products

Commodity  BTOM risk category 
Milk and milk-based products not for human consumption, for animal feed use Medium
Milk and milk-based products not for human consumption, for use outside the feed chain Low

Table 3h. Pet food and products for the manufacture of pet food

Commodity BTOM risk category
ABP for the manufacture of pet food Medium
Dog chews Medium
Flavouring innards Medium
Pet food – canned Low
Pet food – processed (other than canned) Low
Pet food – raw (including if frozen) Medium

Table 3i. Phosphate products

Commodity BTOM risk category
Organic dicalcium phosphate and tricalcium phosphate, for use in animal feed Medium
Organic dicalcium phosphate and tricalcium phosphate, for use outside the feed chain Low

Table 3j. Wool, hair and feathers

Commodity BTOM risk category Comments
Pig bristle Medium None
Treated feathers Low Import conditions are set out in Import Information Note ABP/22b.
Dry untreated wool or hair Low Only low risk if both:
(a) securely enclosed in packaging
(b) sent directly to a plant producing derived products for uses outside the feed chain or a plant carrying out intermediate operations, under conditions which prevent the spreading of pathogenic agents.
Other permitted untreated wool or hair Medium None
Wool grease or fatty substances derived therefrom (including lanolin and lanolin alcohol), for use outside the feed chain Low Processed products derived from wool grease that no longer require further processing when they arrive in Great Britain (other than mixing, coating, assembling or packaging before placing on the market), and are intended for the manufacture of cosmetic products, are subject to specific categorisation. This will be confirmed when the commodity code spreadsheet for non-EU imports is published in due course.

Table 3k. Other animal by-products (ABPs)

Commodity BTOM risk category Comments
ABP outside the feed chain or trade samples Medium Animal by-products included in this category are set out in Import Information Note ABP/8a.
Apiculture products, for use in apiculture Medium None
Apiculture products, not for use in apiculture Low None
Egg products for use in animal feed Medium None
Egg products for use outside the feed chain Low None
Feeder rodents or lagomorphs and feeder chicks Medium None
Fish oil for use in animal feed Medium None
Fish oil for use outside the feed chain Low None
Highly processed intermediate products and ABPs for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, or laboratory reagent use Low Further guidance and import conditions are set out in Import Information Note ABP/20 and Import Information Note ABP/46.
Manure – processed Low None

Note 3

Channelling is where an ABP consignment must be moved directly from the point of entry to the approved point of destination. You must send confirmation of arrival to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).

4. Miscellaneous

Table 4a. Miscellaneous products

Commodity BTOM risk category Comments
Hay and straw Medium None

Give feedback 

We welcome your views on this guidance and the risk categories spreadsheet. Your feedback will help us to identify what we do well and what can be improved. Please use this form to give your feedback.