Member Advice on Importing and Exporting

If you are new to importing plants from the EU then you need to take some basic steps before embarking on the process.

There are three areas to address when importing plants

• Customs requirements
• Plant Health (Phytosanitary) notification & inspection, also known as SPS. 
• CITES permits (for species covered by the Convention on the Trade in Endangered Species)

At the bottom of this page you will find links to basic importing / exporting information.

Agents and Freight Forwarders (Intermediaries)

HTA advises strongly that you employ a Customs Agent/Broker to make customs declarations on your behalf. Customs are incredibly complex, require access to HMRC’s CHIEF system (which has a cost implication) and are best left to experts.

Agents may also be able to do the pre-notification for plant health purposes for you too. However many horticultural businesses do this process themselves, while their appointed customs broker does the declarations.

Plant Health Processes

The plant health process involves pre-notification of your consignment of plants, which you must do via a Government IT system (currently PEACH, soon to be IPAFFS) and also obtain a phytosanitary certificate (PC) from the exporter which is uploaded along with your consignment details.

You must also register to be a Place of Destination (PoD) in order to receive your plants, and provide a location for the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to send a Plant Health and Seeds Inspector (PHSI) to conduct an import inspection, if you are selected for one.

At some point in 2023/2024 plant health inspections will move to Border Control Posts (BCPs) at the port of arrival. There is also the option to become registered as your own Control Point (CP), which also involves being approved as a customs facility as well as for plant health inspection purposes. HTA are also working on an Authorised Operator Status model with the UK Government to allow audited traders to take advantage of smoother cross-border trade and reduced costs by allowing them to conduct their own plant health import inspections when authorised.

Also, do not forget the plants will need a Plant Passport once in Great Britain (GB). We are no longer part of the EU Plant Health area and therefore not in the EU plant passporting system. We have our own PP system, and all plants traded or moved within Great Britain must have a PP attached by an authorised GB business. The same basic rules and competencies apply as they did when we were in the EU system, however EU Plant Passports are not valid in GB, and vice versa. There is a temporary allowance for GB plant passports (ending 30 June 2023) to be applied in the EU by suppliers, however the UK businesses must be authorised to issue plant passports and also demonstrate audited competency and traceability to be allowed to do this.

There are special arrangements for plants and plant products traded GB to Northern Ireland and NI to GB. Northern Ireland is still within the EU Plant Health area so you must obtain a phytosanitary certificate to move plants to NI as well as get customs clearance. This can be done through the Movement Assistance Service (for PCs) and the Trader Support Service (for Customs) which are free of charge to use. There are over 30 species you cannot trade GB to NI as they are prohibited in EU. NI to GB trade is unfettered and can be done on special NI/EU Plant Passports.

All of these processes, including presentations from Government officials and questions from attending members, can be viewed on our webinars that we have held over the past 18 months exclusively for members. They should be viewed in order as they start with basic information, moving onto more detailed advice and always include a members Question & Answer session at the end.

More information on the plant health process can be found on Defra’s Plant Health Portal, including how to apply to be a Control Point. Also accessible there is information on exporting plants plus what to do when sending plants and plant products to Northern Ireland under the NI Protocol.

CITES Permits

If you import species covered under the CITES Convention then your exporter must have an export permit and you must have an import permit for each consignment. Information that must be provided to APHA & Defra includes the origin of the species being imported to ensure that endangered species are not being taken from the wild illegally.

Permits can take up to 30 days to arrive and the paperwork must be physically stamped on entry to GB by the haulier at a CITES office (located at most ports).

Species covered by CITES include ;-

• Aloes (except Aloe vera)
• Euphorbiaceae (succulent varieties)
• Dionaea muscipula
• Nepenthaceae
• Sarraceniaceae
• Pachypodium
• Galanthus
• Sternbergia
• Cyathea
• Beaucarnea
• Cycadaceae
• Araucaria araucana

Detailed information can be found on the Plant Health Portal CITES pages. including information on importing cacti and orchids and plants that are artificially propagated.

Further Advice

You may also contact the HTA Policy advice team at [email protected] for individually tailored member advice.