A pallet of dog food looks like ordinary grocery cargo. To the UK border it is not. Pet food is an animal by-product, and animal by-products travel under a separate set of controls from the food on a supermarket shelf. Businesses that import pet food to the UK without registering for the right notification system, or that route a lorry through a port with no suitable inspection facility, discover the difference at the worst possible moment: at the frontier, with a driver waiting and a retailer expecting stock.
Why pet food counts as an animal by-product
Animal by-products (ABP) are materials of animal origin that people do not eat. Pet food, dog chews and feed for fur animals all sit in this family, which is why they are governed by ABP import rules rather than by the rules for food for human consumption.
Two classification systems run side by side, and confusing them is the most common mistake. The first is the ABP categorisation into categories 1, 2 and 3; GOV.UK is blunt about what you can move: “In most cases, you cannot import ABP from categories 1 or 2.”
The second system is the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), under which “ABP is categorised into medium and low risk categories.” GOV.UK warns explicitly that “The BTOM risk categories do not correspond to ABP categories 1, 2 and 3.” Your commercial document will state the ABP category; your border obligations follow the BTOM risk level. You need both answers before you book transport, not after.
What you need to import pet food to the UK legally
Before the first consignment moves, line up four things: an importer registered on the notification system, a consignor who can issue the correct paperwork, a route through a port with the right inspection facility, and — where channelling applies — an approved destination ready to receive and report the goods.
Register for IPAFFS and notify before arrival
The Import of Products, Animals, Food and Feed System (IPAFFS) is how the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) learns your consignment is coming. It covers “live animals, germinal products, animal by-products (ABP), high-risk food and feed not of animal origin (HRFNAO), products of animal origin (POAO), composite food products, medium and high risk plants and plant products.”
The deadline is firm: “You must do this at least one working day before the ABP is expected to arrive at the point of entry.” A notification raised while the trailer is already queuing at the port is late by definition.
If you clear on someone else’s behalf, note the registration rule: “If you’re an import agent acting on behalf of an importer you must register for IPAFFS using your own business details.” And responsibility does not end at submission — “When you raise a notification in IPAFFS, you are responsible for the consignment from when it enters Great Britain until the authorities complete their checks.” The Polish-language walkthrough of setting up an IPAFFS account and raising notifications covers the registration screens step by step.
Commercial document or health certificate?
Paperwork follows the risk level. For medium risk consignments, GOV.UK states: “You need a health certificate (sometimes called an official certificate) for medium risk imports, if one is available.” Where no certificate exists or the goods are low risk, the fallback is absolute: “All consignments that do not have a health certificate must travel with a commercial document.”
The commercial document comes from the supplier, travels physically with the goods, and must describe what is in the consignment — including the ABP category. Suppliers can use the GOV.UK template rather than inventing their own format. A document that arrives by email after the lorry has is not compliant. Our breakdown of documentation for animal by-product consignments goes through the fields that get challenged most often.
Border control posts and channelling
You cannot choose a port on price alone. “All goods must enter Great Britain through a point of entry that has the relevant border control post (BCP),” with narrow exceptions for research and diagnostic samples and for goods originating in Ireland. A BCP designated for one commodity type is not automatically designated for ABP — confirm the designation before booking the crossing.
Then there is channelling. GOV.UK defines it as follows: “Channelling is where an ABP consignment must be moved directly from the point of entry to the approved point of destination.” Medium risk ABP intended for the manufacture of feed for fur animals and for “pet food other than raw pet food” falls within the channelling arrangements. Once the goods land, the clock starts at the far end too: “The recipient must tell APHA within one day of the goods arriving at the destination.”
Finished retail product is treated more simply. GOV.UK sets the general rule and its exception in one sentence: “You must send ABP to an approved premises when it arrives in Great Britain, except processed pet food or dog chews.” Raw pet food and bulk ingredient movements are the consignments that need the approved-premises chain mapped out in advance.
Classification, duty and import VAT
Sanitary controls do not replace the customs declaration — they run alongside it. You still need a GB EORI number, a commodity code, a customs value and a declaration lodged in CDS. Check the specific commodity code for your goods in the UK Integrated Online Tariff rather than reusing a code from a food consignment, and remember that any preferential rate depends on origin, not on the country of despatch. The same sequencing applies to consumer food — see our guide to SPS checks and IPAFFS for food and drink imports.
Pre-shipment checklist
- Confirm the ABP category (1, 2 or 3) on the supplier’s documentation, and establish the BTOM risk level separately — the two do not correspond.
- Register for IPAFFS; import agents register under their own business details.
- Raise the notification at least one working day before arrival at the point of entry.
- Check the health certificate is available for medium risk goods; otherwise ensure a commercial document travels with the load.
- Book a route through a point of entry with a BCP designated for your commodity.
- Where channelling applies, confirm the approved destination and brief the recipient to notify APHA within one day of arrival.
- Classify the goods in the UK Integrated Online Tariff and prepare the CDS declaration.
Mini-FAQ
Is pet food treated as food or as an animal by-product?
As an animal by-product. Pet food, dog chews and feed for fur animals are governed by ABP import rules, not by the rules for food for human consumption.
How far in advance must the IPAFFS notification be submitted?
GOV.UK requires notification “at least one working day before the ABP is expected to arrive at the point of entry.”
Do I always need a health certificate?
No. A health certificate is needed for medium risk imports where one is available. Consignments without a health certificate must travel with a commercial document from the supplier.
Does every consignment have to go to approved premises?
ABP must be sent to approved premises on arrival, except processed pet food and dog chews. Channelling requirements apply to medium risk ABP including pet food other than raw pet food.
Can I use any port?
Only a point of entry with the relevant border control post, other than the stated exceptions for research and diagnostic samples and goods originating in Ireland.
Getting the movement right first time
Most failed pet food consignments fail on sequencing, not substance: the notification raised too late, the port chosen before the BCP designation was checked, the commercial document treated as an afterthought. If you move feed or ABP between the UK and the EU and want the sanitary and customs sides handled as one workflow, our UK import clearance service — run by a customs agency registered in CDS with a UK EORI number — covers declarations, IPAFFS notifications and routing in one process.
