Exporting guidance for GB to NI, EU or EEA

This information is correct at the time of publishing 24th January 2024.

This page contains information relevant to businesses exporting organic food, feed, seed and livestock to European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA) countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway), and Northern Ireland. The page contains the following sections:

Exporting from GB into the EU and Northern Ireland and EEA

The following information applies to farmers and growers, manufacturers and traders certified by Soil Association Certification. To export to the EU and/or Northern Ireland you will need to make sure all the products you are planning to export are on your trading schedule and are in scope of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). Follow this link for details of the scope of the TCA.

Please also ensure that your customers in the EU and/or Northern Ireland (NI) have identified an importer and 1st consignee who hold a valid organic licence (s).

What documentation is required for exporting organic products into the EU or Northern Ireland, EEA and Switzerland?

A Certificate of Inspection (COI) must accompany every consignment of organic food and drink products, seed, feed and livestock when exporting from GB into the EU or Northern Ireland (unless exempted under ReMoS – see below) and EEA. This will need to be completed and submitted on the TRACES NT portal. Switzerland although not an EU member or EAA, also require COIs and use the EU TRACES NT system. 

Failure to obtain an approved COI, prior to your consignment leaving GB, will result in your organic goods losing status in the EU or Northern Ireland, EEA or Switzerland. 

Once your operator/ user account is approved on TRACES NT you will need to create and submit your Certificate of Inspection (COI) for approval by the Soil Association Certification COI team. 

For all goods exported to the EU and NI, EEA & Switzerland, GB exporters should: 

• For EU, NI & EEA ensure that goods fall within the scope of the UK-EU Trade & Cooperation Agreement – i.e. that they are grown or processed  in GB. Find out more details of the scope of the TCA.
• For Northern Ireland see section below on Exemptions for Northern Ireland for details of exemptions.
• For Switzerland ensure that goods fall within the scope of the UK-Swiss trade agreement. Find out more details here.
• Ensure that a COI is approved for each consignment of organic goods exported. This is the responsibility of the exporter. Failure to do so may result in organic goods losing status.
• Ensure COIs are approved before the shipments leaves GB. We cannot endorse COIs after the good have left GB. 
• COIs can be submitted based on draft documentation, the COI can then be provisionally endorsed allowing the goods to leave GB. If submitting a draft COI you must email the actual weights, along with an updated invoice and packing list before the consignment arrives for clearance in the port of arrival.
• Complete all mandatory and non-mandatory boxes on the COI and ensure you upload supporting documentation as outlined in the Exporting Guidance.

Exemptions for Northern Ireland

From October 2023 ReMoS arrangements replace the Scheme for Temporary Agri-Food Movements to Northern Ireland (STAMNI). Under STAMNI existing authorised traders did not need to present COIs for consignments entering NI. 

Although full details are not yet available, it is anticipated that product will be able move without need for a COI via a ‘Green Lane’ ReMoS arrangement. Great Britain origin products, NI products processed in GB and all EU origin products will be eligible to move under ReMoS. Further guidance can be found on the Gov website here. 

For those goods movements not eligible under ReMoS, the Movement Assistance Scheme (MAS) been extended to June 2025 and can continue to cover the cost to your certifier to endorse Certificates of Inspection (COI) for organic good movements from GB to NI. Labelling funding is also available to help businesses meet the cost of some of the new labelling requirements from 1 October 2023. See the gov website for details of whether you are eligible.

Registering consignments on TRACES NT Portal

How do I register on TRACES NT?

• Please see below a step by step guide on how to register on TRACES NT

• If you are in the process of applying for certification you can set up your TRACES account alongside this.
• Note that the EU TRACES NT portal also applies for goods going to Northern Ireland from Great Britain

How do I create a COI?

A COI needs to be created on the TRACES NT portal. See below step by step guidance outlining how to create a COI and requirements for endorsement.

Once complete our COI team will be able to view and endorse if all of the information is correct and the products you are wanting to export are listed on your trading schedule.

• Creating a certificate of inspection

  Download our How to Create a COI guide.

  Download the guide

Pre-purchasing credits

You will need to pre-purchase credits via our payment portal prior to submitting your COI via the TRACES NT portal. Failure to do so will mean our team will not be able to complete the endorsement process.

If you are exporting to Northern Ireland and not exempted from COI completion under an ReMoS, you do not need to pay for your COIs, as endorsement costs are covered by government> MAS grant paid to your certifier. 

The pre-paid number of credits will then be added to your Soil Association Certification account. Each time a COIs is endorsed through the via TRACES NT portal, we will then deduct a pre-bought credit.

• Pre-purchase COI

  Please click here to pre-purchase your COIs

How can I split my consignments?

Once endorsed the goods are cleared and can be split into batches. Submit a COI for the whole consignment to be endorsed, then amend the status to ‘base for extract’.

For further information please find below TRACES NT guidance on the ‘base for extract’ process.

High-Risk Products

Please be advised that additional checks may be required if your consignment has a high-risk product or high-risk country identified in line with (EC) 1235/2008.

The COI team will inform you via email if any additional documentation or photos of the consignment is required. 

What is a Customs ID?

All businesses trading with the EU who are VAT registered will start to be enrolled into Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) by HMRC.

If you are not VAT registered, you will need to register for an EORI number.

• Exporting guidance for GB to EU, EEA or NI

  This guidance outlines in detail the exporting requirements for consignments going from GB to the EU, EEA or NI.

  Download here

• Setting up access to TRACES NT

  This guidance is a step by step guide outlining how to register on TRACES NT

  Read it here

• Creating a certificate of inspection

  This guidance outlines how to create a COI on the TRACES NT portal.

  Read it here

• COI Base for Extract process

  This guidance outlines how to complete split consignments via the TRACES NT portal

  Read the guidance