Publication
Live Animal Imports: Bovine Animals
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
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1. Regulation 2016/429 (‘Animal Health Law’) and Commission Delegated Regulation 2020/692 lay down the rules for entry into the Union, and handling after entry, of live animals imported from outside the EU
2. General terrestrial animal import requirements as detailed at Live Animal Imports apply to Bovine animals
1. Consignments of bovine animals shall be permitted entry into the Union provided the consignments;
(i) come from a listed third country as listed in Regulation (EU) 2021/404,
(ii) are certified by the competent authority of the third country of export to comply with the general and specific animal health requirements,
(iii) are accompanied by the relevant animal health certificate issued by an Official Veterinarian of the third country of export and any other declaration or documents where required.
The health certificate must be issued within the period of 10 days prior to the date of arrival of the consignment at the BCP. However, In the case of transport by sea, that period of 10 days may be extended by an additional period corresponding to the duration of the journey by sea.
2. The establishment of origin of bovine animals must be registered with the competent authority and a unique registration number applied
3. The animals must comply with the relevant residency period set out in Table 1 of Annex III of Regulation (EU) 2020/692
1. The list of Third countries, territories or parts thereof authorised for the export of bovine animals are laid down in Annex II of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404
2. Consignments of bovines shall only be permitted to enter the Union if such consignments have been dispatched from the establishment of origin to the Union without passing through any other establishment. The exception to this is where the animals have undergone a single assembly operation in an approved establishment which is listed for that purpose and where detailed records are maintained for 3 years (as per Article 20 of Regulation 2020/692). The period in this assembly centre cannot be longer than 6 days. The bovines must arrive in the Union within the period of 10 days from the date of dispatch of the establishment of origin.
3. Consignments of bovines must be individually identified prior to being dispatched from the establishment of origin by a physical means of identification with a visible, legible and indelible display of;
a. the ID code of the animal which establishes an unequivocal link between the animal and the accompanying animal health certificate
b. the 2 digit ISO code of the exporting country.
4. By way of derogation, if the bovines are destined for a confined establishment, they can be identified by an injectable transponder or alternative method of identification which ensures an unequivocal link between the animal and the accompanying animal health certificate.
5. Consignments of bovines shall only be permitted to enter the Union if they originate from a third country/territory free from the Category A diseases as per the table below, for the periods specified in the table;
The periods referred to in the table may be reduced for the diseases included in Part B of Annex IV (table PDF) under the relevant specific conditions.
1. The relevant certificates for bovine animals are laid down in Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 of Annex II to Regulation (EU) 2021/403.
2. Model certificate BOV-X for animals for breeding and production, and model certificate BOV-Y for animals for immediate slaughter. These certificates contain a number of attestations including:
a. A public health attestation to guarantee that the non-EU country complies with certain public health requirements including that the animals are from holdings that are free from certain zoonotic diseases (brucellosis, anthrax and rabies), have not received certain pharmaceutical treatments or hormones and conform to certain requirements in relation to BSE.
b. An animal health attestation to guarantee that the animals, and/or the herd of origin are free from certain diseases, that the animals are healthy and that their underlying health status does not to present a risk to Union livestock, and that the animals have been inspected prior to movement. If appropriate, conformity to additional supplementary guarantees should be indicated if required.
c. An animal transport attestation to certify that the welfare standards laid down in Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 have been complied with and the animals are fit for transport.
3. An official veterinarian in the authorised Third country must sign the certificate to attest that all the relevant conditions in the certificate have been met.
4.The certificate must accompany the consignment en-route to the EU and be presented with the animals when they are presented for entry into the EU at an approved EU Border Control Post (BCP).
Ireland was listed in July 2022 in Annex VII Part II (a Member State or zone thereof with an approved eradication programme for BVD) of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620. This listing means that additional guarantees relating to BVD are applicable to the certification of cattle from Third Countries when Ireland is the MS of destination.
Bovine animals being imported into the EU from a third country must comply with the requirements on the official health cert. Part II.2.13 and Part II.2.14 respectively of these health certs relates to BVD. Footnote 12 provides guidance that, if the MS of destination has a disease-free status for BVD or an approved eradication programme for BVD then Part II.2.13 must be retained in the cert.
Breeding and production cattle coming from a Third Country must meet the following conditions:
- Must NOT be vaccinated against BVD and
- EITHER Originate from a third country/territory/zone free from BVD
- OR They are BVD antigen negative or genome negative (using one of the diagnostic methods provided for in Part 6 of Annex 1 to Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688) and;
▪ EITHER they are kept in an approved quarantine establishment for a period of at least 21 days prior to the departure of the consignment [and in case of pregnant dams, they have been subjected to a serological test for the detection of antibodies against bovine viral diarrhoea virus with one of the diagnostic methods provided for in Part 6 of Annex I to Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688, carried out, with negative results, on samples taken not less than 21 days after commencement of the quarantine]
▪ OR the animals have been subjected to a serological test for the detection of antibodies against bovine viral diarrhoea virus with one of the diagnostic methods provided for in Part 6 of Annex I to Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688, carried out, with positive results, on samples taken prior to their dispatch to the Union [or in the case of pregnant dams, the samples were taken before insemination preceding the current gestation]
1. Live animals entering the Union must be inspected at an EU-approved Border Control Post (BCP) where Member States' official veterinarians ensure they fulfil all the requirements provided for in the EU legislation.
2. The person responsible for the load being imported (the importer or a customs agent acting on their behalf) must give the BCP at the intended point of entry advance notification of the arrival of the consignment.
3. There is a required minimum pre-notification notice period of at least 24 hours’ notice in advance of the consignment’s arrival.
4. Failure to submit correct documentation within this timeline may result in significant delays in the consignment being processed through the Border Control Post.
5. Pre-notification is given by the submission of Part 1 of the Common Health Entry Document (CHED-A), as is laid down in Commission Implementing Regulation (EC) No. 2019/1715 through the online TRACES NT system.
6. Copies of other supporting documentation associated with the consignment such as the Health Certificate should be submitted at this time as well.
7. The CHED provides a standardised format for documentation relating to declaration and checks for live animals arriving into the Union so that data on imported consignments can be properly managed and processed within TRACES NT, the EU's integrated veterinary traceability system.
1. All live animals from third countries require veterinary checks at their point of entry into the European Union, as listed in the Annex to Regulation (EU) 2021/632
2. EU harmonised import controls are carried out at an approved Border Control Post (BCP) that is designated to deal with that species of animal. The consignment may only enter Ireland through an approved Border Control Post (BCP) designated for that species.
3. Bovine animals may only enter through Rosslare Europort BCP
4. Providing all the documentation has been submitted correctly and within the correct timeframes, a large proportion of the documentary check can be commenced in advance of the consignment’s arrival. This includes examination of the veterinary certificate and other documents accompanying a consignment
a. The original hard copy of the health certificate must travel with the consignment, and will be checked and held at the BCP at the point of entry into the EU
5. Provided all is in order with the documentary check, the consignment of live animals will then be subject to an identity check and physical check with/without sampling as appropriate at the BCP.
6. Upon satisfactory completion of the required checks, the decision is entered in Part 2 of the CHED which must accompany the consignment to the first place of destination referred to in the CHED.
7. If the consignment does not meet the import requirements, the consignment may be rejected entry and re-exported or in exceptional circumstances, humanely destroyed if necessary.
Following their entry into the Union (i.e. release from the BCP), consignments of bovine animals shall be transported directly without delay to either;
(i) Their establishment of destination where they shall remain for 30 days (unless they are moved for slaughter); OR
(ii) The slaughterhouse of destination in the Union if they are intended for slaughter, where they must be slaughtered within 5 days from the date of their arrival