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Movement and Trade of Plant and Plant Products
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
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- 1. Phytosanitary Certificates
- 2. Plants and Plant Products that require a Phytosanitary Certificate
- 3. Phytosanitary Certificate for Personal Consignments
- 4. What Plants / Plant products are exempt from needing a phytosanitary certificate?
- 5. Importing High Risk Prohibited Plants from Third Countries
- 6. High Risk Notifications for imports of plant/plant products from other Member States
A Phytosanitary Certificate is an official document issued by the Horticulture and Plant Health Division of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to attest that consignments meet phytosanitary import requirements and is applied to most plants, plant products and other regulated articles that are traded internationally. Phytosanitary certification facilitates international trade in plants, plant products and other regulated articles by providing an internationally agreed document and related procedures.
Phytosanitary certificates may also be issued for certain plant products that have been processed, where such products, by their nature or that of their processing, have a potential for introducing regulated pests (e.g. wood, cotton). A phytosanitary certificate may also be required for other regulated articles where phytosanitary measures are technically justified (e.g. empty containers, vehicles, and organisms).
From 1 January 2021, every import from Great Britain is subject to the same phytosanitary import prohibitions and requirements as other non-EU European countries.
For Northern Ireland the existing internal EU requirements remain applicable.
In 2023, The Department connected to the ePhyto Hub allowing the electronic exchange of Phytosanitary Certificates between National Plant Protection Organisations.
All personal consignments of plants and plant products require a phytosanitary certificate upon entry into the European Union.
Plants are defined as living plants and the following living parts of plants:
a) seeds, in the botanical sense, other than those not intended for planting;
b) fruits, in the botanical sense;
c) vegetables;
d) tubers, corms, bulbs, rhizomes, roots, rootstocks, stolons;
e) shoots, stems, runners;
f) cut flowers;
g) branches with or without foliage;
h) cut trees retaining foliage;
i) leaves, foliage;
j) plant tissue cultures, including cell cultures, germplasm, meristems, chimaeric clones, micro-propagated material;
k) live pollen and spores;
l) buds, budwood, cuttings, scions, grafts;
For information regarding Phytosanitary Certificates in relation to export of plant or plant products from Ireland, please see here .
For information regarding Phytosanitary Certificates in relation to import of plant or plant products to Ireland, please see here .
There is no special allowance for personal quantities of plants and plant products to be brought into a country outside the EU.
All personal consignments of plants and plant products require a phytosanitary certificate upon entry into the European Union.
A Phytosanitary Certificate can be obtained from the National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO) from the country of origin of the plant or plant product.
A list of NPPO contact points for countries can be viewed here .
All plants and plant products have specific requirements for entry into the EU.
Please consult the Department’s Registration and Procedures for Import - Plants and Plant Products webpage here to establish the requirements.
The original phytosanitary certificate must accompany the plants and plant product when travelling into the EU for presentation to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Maine on arrival.
Under Regulation 2019/2072 bananas, dates, coconut, pineapples and durians are exempt from needing a phytosanitary certificate.
Under Regulation 2018/2019, the European Union has agreed a list of high-risk plants on the basis that are known to host commonly hosted pests known to have a major impact on plant species which are of major economic, social or environmental importance to the Union. Those plants are also known to commonly harbour pests without showing signs of infection, or to have a latent period for the expression of those signs. This reduces the possibility for detecting the presence of such pests during inspections carried out when those plants are introduced into the Union territory.
The introduction of the following plants into the EU is prohibited pending a risk assessment.
1. Plants for planting, originating from all third countries and belonging to the following genera or species:
(other than seeds, in vitro material and naturally or artificially dwarfed woody plants for planting require a phytosanitary certificate)
| Latin Name | Common Name |
| Acacia Mill. | Wattles |
| Acer L. | Maple |
| Albizia Durazz. | Persian Silk Tree |
| Alnus Mill. | European Alder |
| Annona L. | Sugar Apple |
| Bauhinia L. | Hawaiian Orchid Tree |
| Berberis L. | European Barberry |
| Betula L. | East Asian White Birch |
| Caesalpinia L. | Mexican Bird of Paradise |
| Cassia L. | Cassias |
| Castanea Mill. | Spanish Chestnut |
| Cornus L. | Dog Woods |
| Corylus L. | Hazel |
| Crataegus L. | Whitethorn |
| Diospyros L. | Kaki Persimmon |
| Fagus L. | Beech |
| Ficus carica L. | Fig |
| Fraxinus L. | Ash |
| Hamamelis L. | Witch Hazel |
| Jasminum L. | Jasmine |
| Juglans L. | Walnut |
| Ligustrum L. | European Privet |
| Lonicera L. | Honeysuckle |
| Malus Mill. | European Crab-Apple |
| Nerium L. | Oleander |
| Persea Mill. | Avocado |
| Populus L. | Cottonwood |
| Prunus L. | Cherry Laurel |
| Quercus L. | European Oak |
| Robinia L. | Black Locust |
| Salix L. | Halberd Willow |
| Sorbus L. | Mountain Ash |
| Taxus L. | European Yew |
| Tilia L. | Large leaved Linden |
| Ulmus L. | Elm |
2. Plants of Ullucus tuberosus originating from all third countries.
| Latin Name | Common Name |
| Ullucus tuberosus Loz. | Root Vegetable |
3. Fruits of Momordica L. originating from third countries or areas of third countries where Thrips palmi Karny is known to occur and where effective mitigation measures for that pest are lacking.
| Latin Name | Common Name | |
| Momordica L. | Bitter Melon |
4. Wood of Ulmus L. originating from third countries or areas of third countries where Saperda tridentata Olivier is known to occur
| Latin Name | Common Name |
| Ulmus L. | Elm |
In accordance with S.I. 310 of 2021, if any of these plants for planting or plant products are delivered to you from another Member State, you must notify the Department as soon as practicable and no later than 48 hours after arrival into the State. These plants and plant products are host species to the harmful organisms therefore notification is necessary so that the Department can organise official controls to prevent the spread of these destructive pests and diseases.
Please use this form and email it to plantandpests@agriculture.gov.ie -
| 1.Plants for Planting | Harmful Organism |
| Quercus | Thaumetopoea processionea |
| Cotoneaster Crataegus (Hawthorn) Malus (Apple) Pyrus (Pear) Sorbus (Mountain Ash) | Erwinia amylovora |
| Castanea (chestnut) | Dryocosmus kuriphilus and Cryphonectria parasitica |
| Coffea (Coffee) Lavandula (lavender) Nerium oleander Olea (Olive) Prunus Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) Polygala myrtifolia Vitis (grape vine) | Xylella fastidiosa |
| Prunus | Xanthomonas arboricola pv. Pruni |
| Pinus | Thaumetopoea pityocampa |
| 2.Plant Products |
| Cut Christmas trees over 3m in height |
| Wood of conifers that is not bark free (except sawn wood that has been kilndried to below 20% moisture content and where the wood or its wrapping has been marked KD or kiln-dried) Isolated bark of conifers | Ips typographus, Ips amitinus, Ips sexdentatus, Ips cembrae, Ips duplicatus, Dendroctonus micans |
| Fuel wood | Wood boring insects, bark beetles |
In accordance with Commission Delegated Regulation 2019/829 Member States may, on application, temporarily authorise the introduction into, the movement within, and the holding and multiplication in, their territory of Union quarantine pests or pests subject to the measures adopted pursuant to Article 30(1) for official testing, scientific or educational purposes, trials, varietal selections, or breeding.
An authorisation shall be granted for the activity concerned only if adequate restrictions are imposed to ensure that the introduction, movement, holding, multiplication or use of the pest concerned does not result in its establishment or spread within the Union territory, taking into account the identity, biology and means of dispersal of the pest, the activity envisaged, the interaction with the environment and other relevant factors relating to the risk posed by that pest. The application form is available here
Application for a Letter of Authority to Import Material for Scientific Purposes
Download link for
Download
ISPM 15 “Regulation of Wood Packaging Material in International Trade” is a phytosanitary standard developed by the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC). It sets down standards for treatment and marking of Wood Packaging Material (WPM) which includes pallets, crates and dunnage used in the international trade of goods of all kinds.
The aim of ISPM 15 is, through the treatment of WPM, to reduce the risk of introduction and spread of pests and pathogens often associated with WPM which could be harmful to trees forests and ecosystems. Find out more here Wood Packaging Material and ISPM 15
If you have any queries on these requirements, please contact mailto:plantandpests@agriculture.gov.ie for further information.