Veterinary Export Health Certification Services
Enquire now about our Export Health Certification Service
Leading Veterinary Export Health Certification in the UK
HallMark specialises in providing comprehensive veterinary export health certification services. With over two decades of experience, our team of Export Vets ensures the highest standards of compliance and quality for exporters of Products of Animal Origin (POAO). We are proud to be one of the largest providers of Export Health Certification (EHC) Services for POAO in the UK, offering unparalleled national coverage.
Qualified Export Vets for Global Compliance and Tailored Export Solutions
Our team of Export Vets, officially recognized as Official Veterinarians (OVs), holds essential qualifications, including OCQ(V)-ES, OCQ(V)-EX, and OCQ(V)-PX, ensuring expertise in the export of Products of Animal Origin (POAO) for both EU and third countries. HallMark offers flexible, tailored veterinary export health certification services—whether permanent or ad-hoc—to meet the diverse needs of exporters. Our agility, speed, and technical expertise make us the preferred choice for efficient, compliant, and cost-effective export solutions, upholding the UK’s reputation in global trade controls.
Commitment to Quality, Client Satisfaction, and Career Opportunities
Our commitment to quality and client satisfaction is reflected in our extensive client base and capacity to efficiently manage large-scale operations, issuing over 1,500 export health certificates monthly. Join our team of skilled Export Vets and play a vital role in supporting the thriving UK export sector. We offer diverse and challenging career opportunities within a dynamic work environment dedicated to excellence in global trade compliance.
Get in touch for Veterinary Export Health Certification Services
Our team is ready to assist with your export certification needs.
FAQ
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Sanitary and phytosanitary requirements are measures to protect humans, animals, and plants from diseases, pests, or contaminants as laid down in EU legislation. These measures maintain traceability, safety and standards in the food chain. They are comprised of a wide range of regulatory controls including auditing, inspection and certification.
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An export health certificate (EHC) is an official document that confirms your export meets the health requirements of the destination country. EHCs are issued by APHA (Animal & Plant Health Agency) and signed by an Certifying Officer (usually an Official Veterinarian).
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Imported goods may carry risks that need to be controlled to protect the biosecurity of the United Kingdom. This risk varies across commodities. For permitted imports that require a Health Certificate, the certificate sets out the requirements to mitigate the risk. Any failure in compliance with biosecurity controls, also referred to as Sanitary and Phytosanitary controls (SPS), could lead to the imported consignment being rejected and destroyed with no compensation, (sometimes the consignment may be returned if the exporting country allows it). Non-compliance includes the absence of a certificate when one is required, or errors within a certificate.
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An EHC will be required if you’re exporting or moving live animals or animal products from Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) to, or through:
• the EU
• non-EU countries
• Northern Ireland
You’ll also need a transit EHC to transit through an EU country. You may need a transit EHC to transit through a non-EU country. Check with the competent authority (the equivalent of Defra) in that country.
You’ll need an EHC for each:
• type of animal or animal product you’re exporting from Great Britain
• product type - if you’re exporting a consignment which includes a mix of products.
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POAO are defined as any products derived from animals or products that have a close relationship with animals. They include:
• fresh meat and offal
• game and poultry
• meat products
• fish, shellfish and fish products
• processed animal protein for human consumption
• processed pet food or raw material for pet food production
• lard and rendered fats
• animal casings
• milk and milk products
• eggs and egg products
• honey
• semen, embryos, manure, blood and blood products
• bones, bone products and gelatine
• hides and skins
• bristles, wool, hair and leathers
• hay and straw
• hunting trophies, ie animal heads and skins
• insect pupae
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All EHCs can be found on Form Finder, which is an online catalogue of available Export Health Certificates on the GOV.UK Website. You can access Form Finder using the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/export-health-certificates
Form Finder includes the following functionality, on the left hand side of the page to enable you to search for an Export Health certificate:
• A general search field which can be used to search for an EHC template number
• Country drop down field that will let you search for all EHCs for that country
• Commodity drop down field that will let you search for all EHCs for that commodity
• The country and commodity drop down fields can be used together to refine your search.
Once you have located the certificate you require, you can click on the hyperlink at the right hand side of the page.
You should always check the Export Health Certificate and Notes for Guidance to ensure that the Certificate is suitable for your export by checking the information on the EHC dedicated page.
You can then use the green Apply Online button to complete an online application through EHCO (Export Health Certificate Online). A Government Gateway account is required to complete an online application. If you do not have one you will need to sign up for this service to be able to proceed with your application.
During the application process please select HALL MARK MEAT HYGIENE LIMITED as the certifier.
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Export Health Certificate Online (EHCO) is a digital platform, designed by DEFRA and APHA, allowing for the application, certification and dispatch of Export Health Certificates.
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Certification is a process of checks made by an authorised Certifying Officer to confirm that the products exported are in compliance with the importing country’s requirements. The documented evidence for the certification is the Health Certificate.
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The nature of the examination and inspection required is specific to the product being exported and the requirements of the destination country. The consignment will have to be inspected by one of our Export Vets (Official Veterinarians-OVs) to ensure that it meets all the certificate conditions and that the description, including identification details, is correct. This inspection may involve physically examining a representative sample from all parts of the consignment, attendance at the loading into the means of transport as well as documentary checks.
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Simply get in touch with our export team and you will be guided through all the steps of certification process.
