Publication
Exporting Organic Produce from Ireland to Great Britain
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
New rules relating to the export of organic products from Ireland to Great Britain (GB) will be introduced from 1 February 2025. From that date, organic products exported from the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland to Great Britain will require a Certificate of Inspection (COI). The requirement for a COI is in addition to the GB Import Health Certificate requirements also being introduced from 31 January 2024.
Under the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland (IE/NI Protocol) Northern Ireland is treated as an EU Member State in terms of movement of goods. As a result, there is no change to the movement of organic goods to or from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland.
To obtain a COI, an exporter must be registered with an Organic Control Body (OCB). In Ireland there are three OCBs; the Irish Organic Association, the Organic Trust and Global Trust Certification Ltd. Exporters must also be registered with the Department of Agriculture Food & the Marine (DAFM) as an organic producer, an exporter, and a food business.
To request a COI, exporters must notify their OCB of their intention to export goods outside the EU. The OCB then checks the information provided including Exporter, First Consignee, Importer, Port of Loading, Destination, Product name, CN codes, weight, manufacturer, Shipping Identification information. Details of the Organic Control Body are also required. If the application meets the requirements, the OCB completes and stamps the COI and returns it to the exporter by post. The turnaround time is normally 24 hours, but this can vary depending on the time the information is submitted, and the quantity of COIs required. A hard copy of the COI must accompany the consignments.
Importers of organic produce to Great Britain (GB) are required by UK legislation to give advance notice of the arrival of an organic import. The importer is required to use the interim manual GB organic import system to provide notification of the upcoming import. GB importers are also advised to contact the Port Health Authority (PHA) where the consignment is due to arrive to verify what documentation is acceptable.
Useful links
Irish Organic Association Email: info@irishoa.ie , Web: www.irishorganicassociation.ie
Organic Trust Email:info@organictrust.ie , Web: www.organictrust.ie
Global Trust Certificate Ltd: Email: info@gtcert.com