Exporting guidance for GB to NI, EU or EEA

This information is correct at the time of publishing 28th January 2025.

This page contains information relevant to businesses exporting organic food, feed, seed and livestock to European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA) countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway), and Northern Ireland. The page contains the following sections:

Exporting from GB into the EU and Northern Ireland and EEA

The following information applies to farmers and growers, manufacturers and traders certified by Soil Association Certification. To export to the EU and/or Northern Ireland, you will need to make sure all the products you are planning to export are on your trading schedule and are in scope of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). Follow this link for details of the scope of the TCA.

Please also ensure that your customers in the EU and/or Northern Ireland (NI) have identified an importer and 1st consignee who hold a valid organic licence(s).

What documentation is required for exporting organic products into the EU or Northern Ireland, EEA and Switzerland?

A Certificate of Inspection (COI) must accompany every consignment of organic food and drink products, seed, feed and livestock when exporting from GB into the EU or Northern Ireland (unless exempted under ReMoS – see importing product into Northern Ireland on our importing page) and EEA. This will need to be completed and submitted on the TRACES NT portal. Switzerland, although not an EU member or EAA, also requires COIs and use the EU TRACES NT system. 

If you do not get an approved COI before your consignment leaves GB, your organic goods will lose status in the EU or Northern Ireland, EEA or Switzerland. 

Once your operator / user account is approved on TRACES NT, you will need to create and submit your Certificate of Inspection (COI) for approval by the Soil Association Certification COI team. 

For all goods exported to the EU and NI, EEA & Switzerland, GB exporters should: 

• for EU, NI & EEA ensure that goods fall within the scope of the UK-EU Trade & Cooperation Agreement – i.e. that they are grown or processed in the UK. Find out more details of the scope of the TCA.
• for Northern Ireland see section below on Exporting goods to Northern Ireland for details of exemptions.
• for Switzerland ensure that goods fall within the scope of the UK-Swiss trade agreement. Find out more details here.
• ensure that a COI is approved for each consignment of organic goods exported. This is the responsibility of the exporter. Failure to do so may result in organic goods losing status.
• ensure COIs are approved before the shipments leaves GB. We cannot endorse COIs after the good have left GB. 
• COIs can be submitted based on draft documentation, the COI can then be provisionally endorsed allowing the goods to leave GB. If submitting a draft COI you must email the actual weights, along with an updated invoice and packing list before the consignment arrives for clearance in the port of arrival.
• complete all mandatory and non-mandatory boxes on the COI and ensure you upload supporting documentation as outlined in the Exporting Guidance.

Registering consignments on TRACES NT Portal

How do I register on TRACES NT?

• Please see below a step by step guide on how to register on TRACES NT

• If you are in the process of applying for certification you can set up your TRACES account alongside this.
• Note that the EU TRACES NT portal also applies for goods going to Northern Ireland from Great Britain

How do I create a Certificate of inspection (COI)?

A COI needs to be created on the TRACES NT portal. See below step by step guidance outlining how to create a COI and requirements for endorsement.

Once complete our COI team will be able to view and endorse if all of the information is correct and the products you are wanting to export are listed on your trading schedule.

• Step by step guide on how to create a COI

  Download the guide

Pre-purchasing credits

You will need to pre-purchase credits via our payment portal prior to submitting your COI via the TRACES NT portal. If you don't, our team will not be able to complete the endorsement process.

If you are exporting to Northern Ireland and not exempted from COI completion under an ReMoS, you do not need to pay for your COIs. Endorsement costs are covered by government MAS grant paid to your certifier. 

The pre-paid number of credits will then be added to your Soil Association Certification account. Each time a COI is endorsed through the via TRACES NT portal, we will then deduct a pre-bought credit.

• Pre-purchase COI

  Please click here to pre-purchase your COIs

How can I split my consignments?

Once endorsed the goods are cleared and can be split into batches. Submit a COI for the whole consignment to be endorsed, then amend the status to ‘base for extract’.

For further information please find below TRACES NT guidance on the ‘base for extract’ process.

High-risk products

Please be advised that additional checks may be required if your consignment has a high-risk product or high-risk country identified in line with (EC) 1235/2008.

The COI team will inform you via email if any additional documentation or photos of the consignment is required. 

What is a customs ID?

All businesses trading with the EU who are VAT registered will start to be enrolled into Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) by HMRC.

If you are not VAT registered, you will need to register for an EORI number.

• Exporting guidance for GB to EU, EEA or NI

  This guidance outlines in detail the exporting requirements for consignments going from GB to the EU, EEA or NI.

  Download here

• Setting up access to TRACES NT

  This guidance is a step by step guide outlining how to register on TRACES NT

  Read it here

• COI base for extract process

  This guidance outlines how to complete split consignments via the TRACES NT portal

  Read the guidance

Exporting goods from GB to Northern Ireland

 

On 27 February 2023 the UK and EU agreed the Windsor Framework, aimed at improving flow of trade within the UK internal market. A new UK Internal Market Scheme was introduced aiming to expand the range of businesses able to benefit from the new arrangements provided to protect internal UK movements, including the removal of EU tariff and remove unnecessary paperwork and checks. The implementation of the Framework will happen in stages through into 2025, to provide businesses with time to adapt to new arrangements.

Moving pre-packed retail goods

The Windsor Framework established a new way to move prepacked retail goods, and certain loose goods including fruit and vegetables, from Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) into Northern Ireland. Called the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme (ReMoS). The scheme started on 1 October 2023, replacing the previous Scheme for Temporary Agrifood Movements into Northern Ireland (STAMNI).

Foods for final consumption intended for sale on the NI market only are eligible and businesses must be registered to export.

Where relevant, goods still need to meet EU standards, but to help avoid additional certification/assurance costs and to facilitate movement, goods may benefit from ‘new green lane’ arrangements. Organic product that qualifies for the ‘green lane' will not require a Certificate of Inspection (COI). Products for sale in the EU,  or that are intended for further processing, or animal feed require a COI. 

Product moved under ReMoS will not need multiple export health certificates, or put an EU address on individual products. Movements will use a single General Certificate instead.

Certain products (e.g some produce and livestock origin products) originating from non-EU Third Countries may not qualify for green lane movement due to a lack of UK-EU alignment on sanitary & phytosanitary (SPS), or produce of animal origin (POAO) requirements.  

Labelling – Goods moved under ReMoS ‘green lane’ Can use an address in the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland), the Channel Islands (Guernsey and Jersey) and the Isle of Man. Products that can move through the green lane will require new labelling ‘Not for EU’. Defra labelling guidance provides full details and requirements to be phased between October 2023 and July 2025 They have published the commodity codes for products that will be covered by Phase 1& 2 – you can access them here. 

Movements which do not qualify under the scheme will move through the red lane. Financial assistance is provided for moving some goods to Northern Ireland, via the Movement Assistance Scheme. 

Organic Product - Regarding eligibility of organic product under ReMoS, (prepacked retail goods, and certain loose goods including fruit and vegetables), the Defra traders team have informed us the following are eligible for export without a COI via the ‘green lane’:

1. All Great Britain origin products eligible

2. All Northern Ireland products processed in Great Britain eligible.

3. All EU origin products eligible

4. Most product entering GB direct from ROW must be further processed in GB to move through green lane, but there are exceptions:

• Products that have no sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements, for example tinned fish, bananas, pineapples, durian, coconuts, pasta, noodles and couscous (except for when they contain meat products, for example meat filled pasta or couscous and noodles mixed with meat), bread, cakes, biscuits, waffles, soup stocks and flavourings and confectionery (including sweets), chocolate and other food preparations containing cocoa

• Products which do not require certification or controls for example processed or canned fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds, flour and wine

• Fisheries products that come from countries specified in the EU IUU implementing regulations

• Products where the UK is taking the same approach as the EU to protect against the same pests and diseases; this should include:

• • Meat: fresh, chilled or frozen New Zealand lamb; pet food and dog chews
  • Vegetables: onions, shallots, garlic, cauliflowers, broccoli. peas, beans peppers, pumpkins, squash and gourds, sweetcorn, sweet potatoes and asparagus
  • Fruit: tomatoes, avocados, grapes, melons, watermelons, apples, pears, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, mulberries, loganberries, blueberries, cranberries and ginger.

If you have specific questions about the scheme please email ni.trade@defra.gov.uk

Northern Ireland Competent Authority (NICA) also run a bi-weekly NI-GB Food Supply Chain Forum. The NI-GB Food Supply Chain Forum is for all businesses within the agri-food supply chain who are moving goods between GB and NI. The Forum broadcasts fortnightly updates on specific Windsor Framework related, cross-cutting and operational updates relevant to the GB-NI food supply chain. During the Forum, businesses will hear from a range of Government speakers on issues pertaining to GB-NI trade. Businesses can join the forum by contacting NIGBFoodSupplyChainForum@defra.gov.uk.

Defra have also run a series of webinars which can be accessed here.