Lists of non-EU countries for public health and animal health – explained

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 of 24 March 2021 laying down the lists of third countries, territories or zones thereof from which the entry into the Union of animals, germinal products and products of animal origin is permitted in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/405 of 24 March 2021 laying down the lists of third countries or regions thereof authorised for the entry into the Union of certain animals and goods intended for human consumption in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council

Update

Countries wishing to export animals and food of animal origin to the European Union (EU) must provide evidence that they can fulfil the EU’s public and animal health requirements. Once adequate guarantees have been provided, the country is approved and included on a list of authorised countries. The country must be listed for the specific type of animal product to be exported, and in accordance with the relevant listing requirements. This explainer provides an overview of the public and animal health listings required for each product.

Impacted Products

Animals and animal products

What is changing?

Animals and animal products can only be exported to the EU from non-EU countries that have been approved and listed as meeting the EU’s public health and animal health requirements. The lists of approved countries are found in the Annexes to the Regulations that set out these requirements:

• residue control plans (Regulation 2021/405, Annex -I)
• food safety (Regulation 2021/405, Annexes I to XVI)
• animal health (Regulation 2021/404).

The requirement to be listed in one or more of these lists depends on the specific animal product. Table 1 provides an overview of products and the listings required.

From September 2026, there is an additional requirement to be listed in relation to the management of antimicrobial medicines (see List of non-EU countries compliant with new EU antimicrobial requirements). This requirement is also shown in Table 1.

The symbols used in Annex -I of Regulation 2021/405 are explained in Table 2.

Why?

From the public and animal health perspectives, animal products imported into the EU from non-EU countries must be as safe as animal products produced within the EU. The EU therefore checks that non-EU countries have appropriate regulatory and control systems in place. This does not require non-EU countries to have exactly the same rules for official controls, but they must have a system that provides an equivalent level of animal and public safety.

If problems arise in relation to food safety or animal health, the EU can temporarily remove an approved non-EU country from the relevant list. Countries will be reapproved and listed once sufficient guarantees have been provided that EU standards are met.

Regarding animal health, the aim is to prevent, control, or eradicate animal diseases. When an animal disease occurs in a particular region, and measures have been taken to prevent it from spreading to other regions, the EU can potentially list one or more regions that are free from disease within a country, rather than the whole country. This is the principle of “regionalisation”.

Recommended Actions

Competent authorities

Competent authorities of non-EU countries exporting food-producing animals and food of animal origin to the EU should take the following actions.

If already listed: ensure compliance is maintained. The EU regularly audits both its partner countries and EU Member States. The work programme and audit reports are published by the European Commission (see 2026 food audit programme: non-EU countries targeted for controls).

• For animal health, the EU works closely with the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) regarding which diseases need to be notified. The EU also regularly audits its partner countries: the work programme and reports are published on the Commission’s Audit Reports webpage.
• For public health, the residue control plans must be updated every year by 31 March.

If not yet listed: start the procedure for recognition of the country’s animal health and public requirements as soon as possible. Competent authorities of partner countries may raise questions with SANTE-CONSULT-A5@ec.europa.eu; and if specifically on residues, with sante-tcresidueplans@ec.europa.eu.

Companies

For companies in non-EU countries wishing to export food-producing animals and products of animal origin to the EU:

• inform the competent authority of your interest
• stay in regular contact with the competent authority to facilitate the approval process
• comply with EU requirements so that your authority can list your establishment as approved to export to the EU (see Approval of third country establishments explained).

Background

The EU has strict rules on the animal and public health requirements for products of animal origin entering the European Union. These rules are set out in various EU Regulations, summarised on the European Commission webpage Products of animal origin for human consumption.

To be listed, non-EU countries must meet the following requirements.

Public health

Competent authorities must demonstrate that there is in place a legal framework and a system of official controls enabling them to guarantee that establishments producing animal products comply with EU requirements. See Official Controls Regulation – explained and Public health requirements for exporting live animals, products of animal origin, composite products and sprouted seeds to the EU (Regulations 2017/625, Art. 126(2) and 2022/2292).

Animal health

Exporting countries must, in particular, have in place:

• a legal framework and efficient official controls when importing and exporting animals and animal products, including certification procedures
• a notification system for animal diseases
• a system to detect emerging diseases and to prevent contamination via swill feeding
• the ability to ensure that animals and animal products are not from restricted zones or establishments subject to national restriction measures for animal health reasons, and that animals do not show symptoms of transmissible diseases at the time of loading for dispatch to the EU

(Regulations 2016/429, Art. 230(1) and 2020/692, e.g. Arts. 6,7).

After an exporting country has been approved and listed by the EU, individual establishments producing animal products for the EU market must be listed by the competent authorities of that exporting country. For further information, see List of non-EU country establishments explained.

Consignments of animal products must be accompanied by the relevant health certificate. See Approval of third country establishments explained).

Resources

Sources

Tables & Figures

Source: based on Regulations 2021/404, 2021/405, 2024/2598

Source: based on Regulation 2021/405, Annex -I