​1.1. Prohibited

Unless specified in the specific goods list below, the Department is not aware of any prohibited edible non-prescribed products, including apiculture products for this market.

1.2. Conditions

Government certification

Australian producers and exporters of animal products should understand and adhere to the requirements under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/2235 concerning official certificates for certain animals and goods. In particular, the export certificate must be issued before the consignment departs Australia (Article 5).

Registration and Listing

Establishments that export edible products to the EU must be export registered with the Department and included on the lists on the European Commission's (EC) website, except for plant-based foods. Please see the specific goods section below.

Packaging requirements

Ban on use of PFAS in paper and cardboard food contact materials

Denmark has banned paper and cardboard food contact material containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) (for example, from recycled paper and cardboard or from printing inks), unless the food contact materials are separated from the food by a functional barrier which prevents the migration of PFAS substances to the food.

The ban came into effect from 1 July 2020.

Food processors may be asked by importers to demonstrate that materials in contact with foods such as non-prescribed goods do not contain any PFAS or if they do, are used with a functional barrier to ensure no migration to food can occur.

While Denmark is currently the only EU member state to take action on use of PFAS in food contact materials, it is noted that individual member states and the EU as a whole are considering risks associated with human exposures to PFAS and similar proposals may be made at a later date in other jurisdictions.

The Department encourages all exporters to work with their importer to ensure that product meets the current importing country requirements.

Labelling requirements

Exporters should be aware of European Union (EU) labelling requirements, including allergen statement requirements, as detailed in EU Regulation No 1169/2011.

Conditions

The European Commission (DG SANTE) has adopted a regulation setting a limit for the presence of trans fatty acids in food (two grams of industrially produced trans fat per 100 grams of fat). The new limit will apply to food intended for the final consumer and food intended for supply to retail in the European Union from 2 April 2021.

Residues

Export Destination Residues Warning – EU residue standards

Maximum residue limits (MRLs) or import tolerances for residues of specific agricultural and veterinary chemicals approved for use in Australia may not exist in the EU or may be established at levels lower than those established in Australia. Respective maximum limits (MLs) for contaminants may also vary between the EU and Australia.

Food business operators who are eligible to export to the EU should note that:

1. a) These differences can be interrogated case-by-case by considering the EU standards (here for pesticides, veterinary drugs and contaminants) and the Australian standards (here for pesticides & veterinary drugs and here for contaminants).
2. b) Any detection of a residue above the EU MRLs/MLs (if applicable) at the EU border would result in rejection of the consignment and trigger an information, alert and/or border rejection notification in the (public) EU Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF).
   

2.1 Import permit

Exporters are not required to obtain an import permit.

2.2 Listing and audit

Establishments that produce/process edible apiculture products to the EU must be listed on the European Commission's website prior to production and export of the goods​. Listing of new establishments generally takes up to three months. Refer to the current Establishment Lists.

In order to be listed on the European Commission's website, Australian producers and packers of edible apiculture products must be listed with the Department as EU eligible and have a current certificate of compliance for a HACCP-based food safety management program.

2.3 Prohibited products

The Department is not aware of any prohibited edible apiculture products for this market.

3.1 Government certification

NEXDOC and eCert

Exports of honey and edible apiculture products occur via paperless trade, known as electronic certification (eCert). Manual certificates are no longer available, except for exports to Northern Ireland.

Export certificates for honey and apiculture products exported to the EU are issued via the EU Trade Control and Export System (TRACES-NT) as an eCert.

To access eCert exporters need to be registered in the department’s Next Export Documentation System (NEXDOC). For information on Registering for NEXDOC and obtaining an account and login refer to NEXDOC.​

For NEXDOC assistance, contact the help desk at NEXDOC@aff.gov.au.

Once exporters have registered in NEXDOC, information included in the Request for Export (REX) will be transmitted to TRACES-NT via eCert and made available to border control posts (BCPs) in Europe, in their official language. The EU BCP will have access to the full eCert in TRACES-NT, removing the need to present a paper certificate at entry.

An extract of the data sent via eCert can be remote printed exporter in lieu of the paper health certificate. The extract carries only commercial information required to identify the product.

EU-TRACES_NT

For an eCert to be lodged successfully, exporters that prepared the goods for export must have a valid TRACES-NT ID. Please note the exporter’s TRACES-NT ID is a separate registration to the department’s establishment register (ER) or the EU listing of establishments recorded in TRACE-NT.

For information on Accessing EU TRACE-NT refer to NEXDOC Help​​.

Certificate template codes

• The manual EUHGB certificate is required for trade of honey and apiculture products for human consumption to Northern Ireland, under the Northern Ireland Protocol agreed between the United Kingdom (UK) and the EU. eCert is not available for trade to Northern Ireland.


• Please contact foodexports@agriculture.gov.au if you intend to export to ports in Northern Ireland.

Australian producers, packers and exporters of edible apiculture should understand and adhere to the requirements under Commission Implementing Regulations (EU) 2020/2235 and 2022/36 concerning official certificates for certain animals and goods. In particular, the export certificate must be issued before the consignment departs Australia (Article 5).

The following document provides ​instructions on how to complete certificate number EUHGB (manual only) for Northern Ireland:

• EUHGB Instructional (PDF 150 KB) 
  

3.2 Supporting documents and exporter declarations

Australian honey only

A manufacturer's declaration is required to confirm that the honey is 100% Australian origin and unblended with imported honey.

Blended honey

Only honey originating from countries eligible to export to the EU, as outlined in Decision 2019/525/EU (and subsequent legislation amending Decision 2011/163/EU), may be used to blend honey destined for export to the EU. This requirement also applies to honey that is imported to Australia for repackaging and then exported to the EU.

An exporter's declaration is required to confirm the honey for export is either Australian honey blended with imported honey or is 100 per cent imported honey.

To obtain an export certificate to export to the EU honey that has been blended with honey from third countries the exporter must provide certification or a letter on official letterhead from the agricultural authorities of the third countries with the following attestations:

I, the undersigned, declare that I am aware of the relevant requirements of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and Council Directive 2011/110/EC and hereby certify that honey and other apiculture products described in Part I were produced in accordance with these requirements, in particular that they:

1. (a) come from (an) establishment(s) that has(ve) been registered and implement(s) a programme based on the hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) principles in accordance with Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 and regularly audited by the competent authority;
   
   
2. (b) have been handled and, where appropriate, prepared, packaged and stored in a hygienic manner in accordance with the requirements of Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 852/2004;
   
   
3. (c) fulfil the guarantees covering live animals and products thereof provided by the residue plans submitted in accordance with Article 29 of Council Directive 96/23/EC, and honey is listed in Commission Decision 2011/163/EU for the concerned country of origin;
   
   
4. (d) have been produced under conditions guaranteeing compliance with the maximum residue levels for pesticides laid down in Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and the maximum levels for contaminants laid down in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006; and
   
   
5. (e) in the case of honey, conforms to the product description and composition criteria as defined in Annexes I and II to Council Directive 2001/110/EC and, in particular, does not contain any added food ingredient, including food additives or extraneous sugars, with the exception of honey.
   

​Australian producers, packers and exporters of edible apiculture products must understand and implement provisions set out in the following European regulations:

• (EC) No. 2002/178 relating to general food laws, including traceability.
  
• (EC) No. 2004/852 relating to food hygiene.
  
• (EC) No. 2004/853 relating to specific rules for food of animal origin.
  

Edible apiculture products must have been handled and, where appropriate, prepared, packaged and stored in a hygienic manner in accordance with the requirements of Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 852/2004.

Exporters should be aware of EU labelling requirements, including allergen statement requirements, as detailed in EU Regulation No 1169/2011.

Edible apiculture products exported to the EU must comply with European Directive 96/23/EC, which sets EU standards for residues of agricultural and veterinary chemicals and environmental contaminants. The Department's National Residue Survey honey program gives the EU adequate assurance of the compliance of Australian edible apiculture products. Edible apiculture products must be solely of Australian origin or blended with products imported from countries that meet the EU's requirements for residue testing.

Each year, Australia and other countries that export animal products to the EU submit their residue monitoring programs for assessment. The Commission then publishes its results of its assessment. This decision is amended and placed on the EUR-Lex website periodically. Decision 2015/1338/EU is in force and includes a list of countries that have been accepted as meeting the EU’s residue requirements and whose honey could be included in blended products for export to the EU.

​Products of animal origin, composite products, products derived from animal by-products, plants, plant products and other objects which form part of passengers’ personal luggage and which are intended for personal consumption or use, are exempted from official controls at EU border control posts provided that their combined quantity does not exceed a weight limit of 2 kg, as written in the Commission Regulation (EC) No 2019/2122.​