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Brexit Resources

We have a number of free resources available on the rules and requirements for importing food from the UK(excluding Northern Ireland) and for placing these products on the EU Single Market.

eLearning

We currently have two eLearning modules available to assist you in understanding the requirements for importing foods from the UK (excluding Northern Ireland)

Food Import Requirements

Our eLearning module on food import requirements outlines the import requirements for importing all types of foods and food contact materials from the UK (excluding Northern Ireland). The module includes:

registration requirements
notification requirements
documentary requirements
types of import checks involved
outcome of import checks

Brexit mini-bite: Importing composite products

Composite products brought into Ireland from the United Kingdom (excluding Northern Ireland) are imports. Understanding the requirements for importing composite products can be difficult and we receive lots of queries from food businesses on composite products.

This short Brexit mini-bite on importing composite products should take only 10 minutes to complete and includes interactive exercises around the following questions:

Is your food a composite product or not?
Does your composite product need a health certificate?

Information on Food Exports

Brexit Notice in relation to storage, distribution, traceability, labelling and identification of food from the United Kingdom, excluding Northern Ireland

This notice is aimed at food businesses storing or distributing food from the UK, (excluding Northern Ireland). This may be occurring:
(a) at storage facilities that are attached to or are part of a registered or approved food businesses
(b) standalone storage establishment e.g. central distribution centres
(c) off-site through the use of the services of a commercial storage/distribution company
     Food businesses using the services of commercial storage may:
     (i) lease all or part of the establishment or chambers or rooms within the storage facility
     (ii) use the commercial storage provider to carry out activities on their behalf such as storage, goods receiving, dispatch, blast freezing,tempering, rewrapping/repacking, decanting, cross-docking etc.

Flour and foods containing flour from Great Britain with added vitamins and minerals, updated advice February 2022

In early 2021, the FSAI provided advice to industry, based on EU advice, in relation to flour and products containing flour coming from Great Britain, following the UKs departure from the EU. At a meeting of the EU Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed – General Food Law on the 5th of October 2021 the Commission confirmed its advice regarding flour and updated its advice in relation to foods containing fortified flour as follows^[1]:

Flour

Since 1st January 2021, flour fortified under UK national rules, cannot be placed on the EU market as the flour in question does not meet the minimum amounts set by the EU rules for levels of vitamins and minerals added to food (this does not apply to flour fortified under Northern Ireland (NI) national rules produced in NI).
Up to 1st January 2021, this flour was permitted on the EU market through a derogation available to Member States that does not apply to the UK as a third country. UK flour that is on the EU market prior to 1st January 2021 can continue to be traded on the EU market until the end of its shelf life.
Unfortified flour can be placed on the EU market.
Flour that is fortified to a significant amount as set out by the EU rules can be placed on the EU market.

Compound foods (e.g. bread, biscuits, cakes, sauces) containing flour

Compound foods made in the UK using flour fortified under UK national rules can be placed on the EU market and are not required to be fortified to a significant amount. The labelling of a food containing this fortified flour has to comply with the provisions of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 and in particular it shall not be misleading for the consumer by implying that the compound food has been fortified.
Compound foods made using flour fortified to a significant amount, as set by the EU rules^[2] for levels of vitamins and minerals added to food, are not required to be fortified to a significant amount to be placed legally on the Union market. The labelling of a compound food containing a fortified ingredient has to comply with the provisions of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 and in particular it shall not be misleading for the consumer.

^[1] General Food Law - PAFF (europa.eu)
^[2] Regulation (EC) No 1925/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 on the addition of vitamins and minerals and of certain other substances to foods

Brexit Bites Webinars

The FSAI held a series of Brexit Bite webinars in 2020 to help food businesses prepare for the changes that Brexit brings from 1 January 2021.

FSAI Brexit Bite - Food Businesses Are You Ready?

Food businesses, regardless of size, moving food or food contact materials from, to or through Great Britain will be subject to a range of new customs formalities and other regulatory requirements from 1 January 2021. Irish food businesses that currently buy food from Great Britain and place it on the Irish market will become importers.

In this short Brexit Bite, the FSAI outlines what this means for food businesses and provides practical information on what you need to do to make sure you are prepared for 1 January 2021.

Brexit Bite - What Food Businesses Need to Know

In this recording, the Environmental Health Service of the Health Service Executive provide an overview of the requirements for importing foods of non-animal origin and food contact materials e.g. food packaging, into Ireland from the UK (excluding Northern Ireland) from 1 January 2021.

The FSAI provide information on Brexit food labelling changes, 'placing on the market', and food supplement requirements.

Brexit Bite - Importing Food of Animal Origin

In this webinar, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine provide a summary of the import controls on foods of animal origin including:

What needs to be done to import food
What documents are needed

Guidance and advice is provided on how imports can have a more efficient transfer through the Border Control Post.

Brexit Bite: Be Ready for 1 January 2021

Brexit means change and in this webinar the FSAI gives an overview of food import controls applicable from 1 January 2021, in addition to providing guidance on the labelling requirements for placing food from the UK on the Irish market.

Webinar: Import Documents

On the 14 January 2021, Carol Heavey (FSAI) and Deirdre O'Brien (HSE) took part in a joint webinar hosted by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), HSE and FSAI titled ‘SPS Certification and Health Checks for Products Entering Ireland from GB: What Documents you Need, and When’.

In this webinar, Carol Heavey from the FSAI Brexit team covered the changes that have come about to food labelling because of Brexit as well as the resources that are available to help food businesses with the requirements now in place to import food and food contact materials from Great Britain.

See the video in full here: What are the food labelling rules since Brexit? - a practical guide from the FSAI.

Deirdre O'Brien from the Environmental Health Service in the Health Service Executive provided a practical guide to documents and pre-notification needed to import foods of non-animal origin post-Brexit.

See the video in full here: What are the import controls for food of non-animal origin since Brexit? - a guide from the HSE

Noreen Galvin from DAFM went through the documentation, certification and processes required to import foods of animal origin and her colleague Joseph McNamara (DAFM) explained the documentation, certification and processes involved with importing products of plant origin. To view the DAFM videos from this webinar and other DAFM Brexit webinars, check out their YouTube channel.