Important changes to organic import requirements from February 2025

GB businesses importing these products from the EU,EEA or Switzerland are not currently required to submit organic import documents (Certificate of Inspection) at GB port of entry. 

This will change on January 31st 2025. From February 2025 all consignments of organic goods covered by organic controls will require a GB Certificate of Inspection (GB COI).

For imports from the EU or EEA*, the terms of the EU-UK Trade & Cooperation Agreement (TCA) already require that:

• Exporters in the EU/EEA, importers in GB and First Consignees in GB all have organic certification covering their relevant activity and,

• Goods exported from EU/EEA to GB have been grown/reared or processed (repacking is not sufficient) within the EU/EEA (referred to as ‘in scope’ of TCA). Under the terms of the TCA, organic products imported into EU/EEA and not further processed are not eligible for export to GB. 

*For imports from Switzerland, a separate equivalence agreement exists between the UK and Switzerland, which similarly restricts imports from Switzerland to goods that have been grown/reared or processed in Switzerland. Products imported into Switzerland and not further processed are not eligible for export to GB.
 

Systems, processes and controls

At this time Defra have not clarified what systems or processes will be accessible to manage GB COIs for goods from EU/EEA. but We are actively seeking updates and will communicate any further information via Certification News mailers and on our Certification Update webpage. 

COIs generated by EU/EEA exporters are expected to require endorsement by their organic control body (certifier). As such we anticipate a process being in place from February which should prevent endorsement of COIs for consignments of products not meeting the terms of the TCA (see above bullets). Goods to be marketed as organic which are without an endorsed GB COI may not be cleared for entry into GB.
 

Potential challenges for trade

We are aware that many GB businesses will currently import goods not in the scope of the TCA Some of these businesses will be reliant on EU/EEA suppliers for goods that it may not be possible or viable to obtain from other sources.

For others, the additional resource burden to manage the COI process, ensuring all supply chain actors can fulfil regulatory obligations appropriate to their role, or the potential for lack of process flexibility or logistical delays could also be important concerns.
 

What we are doing and how you can help

We are already in communication with key EU organic trade and sector bodies to gather more information on potential trade impacts, but we’re also keen to better understand the potential impacts on GB  businesses.

Whilst we understand that there are still unknowns, if your business is affected, we are keen to hear about anticipated challenges and impacts, as well as possible solutions or contingencies. We would also value your views on what scope there might be for further mitigation e.g. through supply chain collaboration or more efficient processes. Please complete this survey with your thoughts.
 

What we’ll do with the information

If you are affected or potentially affected by the introduction of GB COIs and are happy to share information in confidence, please complete the survey.

This information will be invaluable in establishing a sector view and a set of priorities and recommendations we can present to relevant decision-makers. It may also contribute to guidance for the sector. Information provided may therefore be shared, but will not be attributed to your business.