Export affairs

According to §2(1) No. 11 of the Act establishing the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL Act, or BVLG), the BVL functions as a consultant and co-ordinating office in affairs related to the export of live animals, animal products and feed products, as regards food and feed safety, animal diseases, and animal welfare. The BVL’s task also include listing of establishments entitled to exporting animal products, and co-operation in handling complaints from countries outside the EU. In the following, basic information on application procedures as well as current notifications are listed.

Das Bild zeigt ein Containerschiff. (Quelle: Ole Jastram / BVL) Source: Ole Jastram / BVL

What requirements hold for products intended for export?

Article 12 of Regulation (EC) No. 178/2002 says that food and feed exported from the Community for placing on the market of a third country have to comply with the relevant requirements of food law, unless otherwise requested by the authorities of the importing country or established by the laws, regulations or standards that may be in force in that country.

Why are there listing procedures for export in certain third countries?

Some countries outside the EU (“third countries”) allow exports to their territories only from establishments which have been registered or approved, and are thus known to the authorities competent for them, and appear in relevant lists of registered or approved establishments.

When a third country informs the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture that establishments that want to export food of animal origin or feed to that country, need to be listed for that purpose, the BVL prepares relevant information and provides it to the competent Laender authorities and to the industrial associations concerned.

The purpose of listing procedures is to survey establishments intending to export to third countries, and let competent authorities confirm that these establishments meet the requirements of the respective third countries, and that they are apt to export their products there.

What kind of listing procedures does the BVL currently contribute to?

The following table shows the listing procedures the BVL is currently concerned with. If official lists are published by the third country authorities, they can be accessed by selecting the corresponding product category in the following table.

Name of third country	Categories
Argentina	Milk products, Cow's milk products for use as animal feed, fishery products, porcine pancreas, pig casings, bovine semen, gelatine for photographic purposes, Gelatin and collagen for human consumption (obtained from bovine and domestic pig hides)
Australia	Processed salmon products,
Brazil	Beef and beef products, pork and pigmeat products, fish and fishery products, milk products from bovine, ovine and caprine milk, gelatine, collagen, casings (natural casings from bovine, porcine, caprine and ovine species)
Canada	Meat and meat products
Chile	Beef and beef products, pork and pork products, poultry and poultry products, pig intestines, gelatine, collagen, milk and milk products, preserved and prepared meals, equine semen, bovine semen and embryos, sheep and goat seed, hatching eggs and day-old chicks
China (People’s Republic)	Animal skins and hides, bone chips, pet food / compound feed, down and feathers, milk and milk products, infant milk and follow-on milk, fish and fishery products (aquatic products), meat and meat products (pigmeat and edible byproducts), casings, bee products, edible fats and oils, stuffed pastry products, edible grains, milled grain industry products and malt, fresh and dehydrated vegetables and dried beans, unroasted coffee beans and cocoa beans, condiments, nuts and seeds, dried fruit, food for special dietary purpose, functional food,feed additives and premixes containing feed additives , Greasy Wool
Colombia	Milk and milk products
Costa Rica	Milk and milk products
Ecuador	Bovine semen, bovine embryos
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region	Beef and beef products, mutton and sheep meat products, pork and pig meat products, poultry and poultry meat products
India	Milk and milk products, Meat and meat products (including Poultry and Fish and their products), Eggpowder, Infant Food, Functional Food (Nutraceuticals)
Indonesia	Milk products
Japan	Pork (fresh and heat-treated), natural casings, poultry meat
Korea	Pork, pork products, pig casings (APQA), Pork, pork products, pig casings (MFDS), milk and milk products eggs and egg products
Malaysia	Pork, milk and milk products
Mexico	Processed non-ruminant protein (poultry)
Nicaragua	Milk and milk products
Panama	Meat and meat products, milk and milk products, natural casings, gelatine, collagen, egg products, fish and fishery products, pet food
Peru	Bovine semen, bovine embryos
Philippines	Beef, Pork, Poultry
Russian Federation	Food of animal origin, feed of animal origin
Saudi Arabia	Milk and milk products, infant formula, fish and fishery products
Singapore	Poultry meat and poultry meat products, pork and pork products, beef and beef products, eggs and egg products
South Africa	Pork, beef, and poultry meat, processed animal protein
Taiwan	Pet food
Thailand	Beef
Turkey	Bovine carcasses
United States	Pork and pork products
United Kingdom	Captive birds
Vietnam	Pork, pork products, pig casings , fish, fishery products

How to get information on listing procedures BVL is dealing with

All information the BVL has about the listing procedures shown in the table above has also been provided to industrial associations concerned and the Laender’s competent authorities. Establishments seeking information about these procedures are therefore referred to these offices.

How to get information on listing procedures BVL is not dealing with

The BVL does not have information about export of products other than shown in the table above, or export to other countries than those shown above. Here it should be helpful to draw on the experience of industrial associations and foreign trade chambers in the respective sectors. In any case, import conditions should be clarified with the importer, that is, the customer in the country in question.

How to apply for listing

Businesses intending to export to countries requiring specific listing have to fulfil all requirements specified by those countries. The business operators are responsible for that. They have to apply for registration/approval, and in the end, being listed for the respective country, to the local food control authority competent for them.

When to amend the listing

Third countries expect that their lists of German establishments entitled to export, which they keep based on the data transmitted to them by the BVL, are always up-to-date. Against this background, third countries must immediately be informed about any changes that might affect the listing. This holds in particular for changes in the approval of an establishment. A notification to the country concerned is required in particular if

a) establishment data have changed (such as, approval number, establishment addresses, names, or activities),
b) an establishment does no longer fulfil the requirements for export to the country in question, or
c) a listed establishment has stopped operation.

The up-to-dateness of establishment data communicated to third countries is the responsibility of the business operator, which is why notifications according to letter a) should be initiated by the business operator without being asked. Notifications as under b) and c) are usually initiated by the government authority competent for the establishment.

How are applications for listing transmitted to BVL?

Establishments’ applications to be listed for export to a third country are reported to the BVL by the food control authority of the Land competent for that establishment (that is, where the establishment is resident). The BVL only deals with applications and relevant information which it has received through the proper channels, that is, from the transmitted to the BVL by the competent authorities.

After checking the documentation, the BVL passes on the information to the competent government authority of the respective third country.

When can an establishment start exporting?

As a rule, an establishment can start exporting product to a third country when it appears on that country’s list of entitled establishments. Or, in the case of notified changes, when that change in information appears on the list. Just transmitting the information to the third country in question is not sufficient to start exporting.

The BVL basically advises not to start shipping product before the date the establishment – or any changes notified – appear on the third country’s list of entitled establishments.

Export of fresh vegetal foodstuffs to Indonesia: Recognition of trade laboratories

Apart from the listing procedures for establishments interested in exporting food of animal origin or feedstuffs to third countries, the BVL is also dealing with a procedure of recognition of private trade laboratories that examine certain fresh vegetal foodstuffs intended for export to Indonesia. Laboratories intending to engage in such activities can turn to the BVL for information on how to apply for recognition by the Indonesian Government.

Current matters

Current Market opening procedures

In the framework of market opening procedures, companies interested in exporting other products than such covered by the established procedures (see table above) may state their interest to their competent food control authority.

Name of third country	Category	Deadline (Entrance BVL)
Vietnam	complete feed and complementary feed of animal origin for dogs and cats	March 21, 2025

Establishments can inform themselves with their competent food control authority or their respective industrial associations about what documents they have to submit to show their interest.