Documentary checks on imports into GB have become increasingly rigorous. Knowing the most common issues on EHCs can make the difference between a smooth consignment and days of delays.
If you export products of animal origin from Italy to Great Britain, the Export Health Certificate (EHC) is the document that can make or break a consignment. Port Health Authorities scrutinise it with growing attention, and even a single formally incorrect detail can hold up an entire lorry at the point of entry.
The most frequent issues are well known, well documented and – above all – avoidable. Here is a practical guide to the four errors that recur most often.
- Regionalisation and treatment types
The region code is not a secondary detail
In the event of disease outbreaks, in particular African Swine Fever (ASF), the UK authorities apply regionalisation measures: rather than banning imports from the entire country, controls are restricted to the specific affected areas. For Italy there are seven region codes (IT-0 … IT-6), each with a precise meaning.
The EHC must indicate both the region code of origin and the treatment type applied to the product. For pork products, for example, the current position is as follows:
| Code | Area description | Bovine / game (excl. swine) | Ovine / caprine | Domestic swine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IT-0 | Whole country | A | A | XXX |
| IT-1 | Country excl. IT-2, 3, 4 | A | A | A |
| IT-2 | ASF zones Part I | A | A | A |
| IT-3 | ASF zones Part II | A | A | D min. |
| IT-4 | ASF zones Part III | A | A | C min. |
| IT-5 | Country excl. IT-6 | A | A | XXX |
| IT-6 | Poultry zones (EUR 2008/798) | A | A | XXX |
On the subject of treatment types, it is worth clearing up a very common source of confusion: treatment “A” is the minimum level required to classify a product as a “meat product”. Treatments “B” to “F” descend in order of decreasing intensity. If the minimum required is “A”, all higher levels (B, C, D, E, F) are also acceptable. If the minimum is “C”, only “B” is a valid alternative.
2. Date of departure vs. signature date
The vet signs before departure, always
The official veterinarian must sign the EHC whilst physically on site, during the inspection of the goods. This gives rise to a straightforward rule that is nonetheless frequently breached: the Date of Departure (Box I.14) cannot precede the date of signature on the certificate.
It is an apparently trivial error, yet one of the most frequently flagged by Port Health Authorities. A quick double-check of the dates before dispatch is all that is needed to eliminate this risk entirely.
3. Establishment of origin
Every establishment must be registered for the correct activity
On TRACES, businesses register for specific activities: slaughterhouses, cutting plants, processing plants, re-wrapping facilities, cold stores. Registrations are not interchangeable.
An issue flagged with increasing frequency is that establishments declared on the EHC are not always approved for the activity stated in the certificate. A facility registered solely as a re-wrapping plant cannot be declared as an abattoir. It seems obvious, yet it happens.
Before completing Box I.28, verify the approved activities for every establishment in the supply chain. The TRACES portal (webgate.ec.europa.eu) allows this check in a matter of minutes. The GB model EHCs also provide specific guidance on which type of establishment may be entered in each section of Part III.
4. Attestations in Part II
Omissions and incorrect deletions: when caution becomes a problem
Part II of the EHC contains the health certifications specific to the product. A number of certificates reviewed by the British authorities had required attestations omitted or incorrectly crossed out. This applies to both of the most common EHC types encountered:
| EHC | Product | Key rule |
|---|---|---|
| GBHC352 | Meat products | AH/P100 cannot be left blank. If the product contains material from bovine, ovine or caprine animals, at least one PH/D003 (BSE) option must be selected. PH/D103 is mandatory for domestic porcine animals; PH/D104 for horse meat and wild boar. |
| GBHC416 | Lower heat treatment milk and dairy products | None of the attestations may be omitted or crossed out. All must be certified to allow importation of the goods into GB. |
Statements marked with an asterisk (*) in the official model certificates are the only ones that may be omitted — but only where the specific circumstances justify it. For any uncertainty, the GB model EHCs (available on gov.uk) are the most reliable source: they clearly indicate which statements are compulsory and under what conditions.
Documentary checks on imports into GB are intelligence-led and are not applied with absolute uniformity, which can give the impression that certain errors go unnoticed. Relying on that inconsistency, however, is a high-risk strategy. An EHC that is fully accurate at the point of issue remains the most effective way to protect the consignment, delivery timelines and commercial relationships with British customers.
