Every year, hundreds of millions of pounds worth of fish exports, crustaceans and fishery products are exported from Great Britain, to all over the world. The most common destinations are EU, China and USA.
Salmon is considered to the top export. British fish often commands a premium price due its premium reputation, quality and freshness.
Most common fish exports
The most common fish/molluscs that are exported are:
- Salmon
- Mackerel
- Herring
- Scallops
- Cod
- Crabs
- Shrimps/prawns
These can be exported in various formats, including:
- Live
- Raw/unprocessed
- For further processing
- Tinned
- Packed
- Smoked/cured
How can Amivet help me?
Are you looking for new ways to increase your turnover? Might exporting be for you? Want to know to which markets you can export?
Find out how Amivet can help – whether its your first time getting into fish exports or have done it many times before, we can offer a tailored solution to make the process as easy as possible.
Export health certificate
In the vast majority of cases, to export fish from GB, you will require an export health certificate or “EHC”, signed by an official veterinarian, or OV. Following inspection of the products and supporting documents such as movement records, checks on catch areas and results of any laboratory tests required, the OV will sign and stamp the EHC, which assures the importing country that the goods are as described and do not carry any risk of introducing any animal or human disease into that country. You may also require catch and/or processing certificates.
Common Export/Import Considerations
While every country has its own import rules, there are some common factors that are worth bearing in mind:
- Do you need an import permit?
- Does any premises require specific approval for export?
- Are there any restrictions on amount or quota?
- What labelling requirements are there?
- Can the goods be shipped chilled, frozen of ambient?
- Is there an EHC for the type of fish you wish to export?
- Are there any restrictions on the country of origin?
Many importing countries are concerned about introducing disease via imported fish, which can lead to restrictions such as:
- A complete ban
- A ban on imports from certain parts or regions of GB
- A limit on what parts of fish are allowed
- A requirement for further processing
The major notifiable diseases of importance are bacterial or viral and are listed at WOAH.
Our OVs can cover most parts of GB, however we have a particularly strong team in the central Scotland belt, around the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Our export tool allows you to search by country for what specific EHCs are available. More detail about the certification process is given here.
