Publication
Personal Consignments of Products of Animal Origin
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
1. Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2122 lays down rules concerning the introduction of personal consignments of products of animal origin.
2. This encompasses such consignments relating to a traveller's personal luggage as well as those sent by mail.
3. The regulation does not apply to personal consignments from Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, San Marino or Switzerland, nor does it apply in relation to fishery product consignments from the Faroe Islands and Iceland.
4. The following table lays down the allowances for the various product categories:
| Consignment Type | Allowed/ Not Allowed | Weight Allowed | Any exceptions/ specific conditions |
| Meat, Milk and Milk or Meat products | Not allowed | N/A | < 10kg allowance from the Faeroe Islands or Greenland permitted |
| Powdered Infant Milk, Infant Food and Special Foods for medical reasons | Allowed | < 10 kg for Faeroe Islands, Greenland and Greenland/ < 2kg for other countries | a. the product must not require refrigeration before consumption/ b. the product must be a packaged proprietary brand product/ c. the packaging must be unbroken unless in current use |
| Pet Food for medical reasons | Allowed | < 10 kg for Faeroe Islands, Greenland and Greenland/ < 2kg for other countries | a. the product must not require refrigeration before consumption/ b. the product must be a packaged proprietary brand product/ c. the packaging must be unbroken unless in current use |
| Fishery Products | Allowed | < 20 kg or a single fish (if this weight is higher) | No weight restriction from the Faeroe Islands or Greenland/ Fresh fish must be eviscerated/ Includes fresh, dried, cooked, cured or smoked fish, and certain shellfish, such as prawns, lobsters, dead mussels and dead oysters |
| Other Animal Products for personal human consumption (e.g. honey, live oysters, live mussels, snails etc.) | Allowed | <10 kg for the Faeroe Islands and Greenland/ < 2 kg for other countries | |
| Exempted products (products listed in Annex II of Decision 2007/275/EC) | Allowed | N/A | Exempt products listed below/ Must meet certain requirements |
5. Consignments from protected species may have additional restrictions in place e.g. caviar from sturgeon species has a maximum weight allowance of 125g per person.
The following products, as listed in the Annex to Regulation 2021/630, not containing meat and meeting the requirements of Article 3 of that Regulation, are exempt from these rules:
- Bread, cakes, biscuits, waffles and wafers, rusks, toasted bread and similar toasted products
- Chocolate and confectionery (including sweets) and other food preparations containing cocoa
- Food supplements packaged for the final consumer containing processed animal products (including glucosamine, chondroitin or chitosan, or both chondroitin and chitosan)
- Olives stuffed with fish
- Pasta, noodles and cous cous not mixed or filled with meat product
- Soup stocks and flavourings packaged for the final consumer
- Extracts, essences and concentrates, of coffee, tea or maté and preparations with a basis of these products or with a basis of coffee, tea or maté thereof. Roasted chicory and other roasted coffee substitutes, and extracts, essences and concentrates thereof
- Liqueurs and cordials
1. The EU member state is obliged to ensure that at the point of entry into the Community, they bring these regulations to the attention of the travellers in the form of informative posters etc.
2. International passenger transport operators and postal services shall also draw the attention of their customers to this regulation.
3. The competent authorities, the customs authorities or other public authorities responsible, in cooperation with port, airport and rail operators and with operators responsible for other points of entry shall organise specific official controls at points of entry into the Union.
4. These controls shall be carried out by any appropriate means which may include the use of detection aids such as scanners or detection dogs to screen personal baggage.
5. Any consignments found to be in breach of the regulations shall be seized and destroyed in accordance with national legislation.
6. The person responsible for the personal consignment found to be in breach of the rules may also be subject to penalty fees.
7. Any queries on personal consignments of products of animal origin should be sent to:
Phone: 01 6072000
