Collecting and transporting groupage consignments from GB to NI

If you are a haulier who moves SPS goods (products of animal origin, high-risk food not of animal origin and plants and plant products) from Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) to Northern Ireland where your goods need to be accompanied by Export Health Certificates (EHC) or compliance declarations, this new guidance can help facilitate the movement of groupage loads.

New groupage models have been developed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA). These models can help ensure loads will be able to move through NI points of entry with minimum interruption - however, you should be prepared for document and identity checks and other risk-based physical checks.

‘Groupage’ exports are groups of products transported in a single sealed trailer or container.

You can move your goods using any of the following groupage methods:

• the linear model
• the consolidation hub model
• the hybrid model - by combining the linear and consolidation hub models

If you employ a haulier to transport your products, you should agree with them what model you’ll use to move your products.

You must move goods from a business approved to export to the EU.

This guide will also help you determine the certificates you may need for your goods, information on how to seal your consignment and how to pre-notify the NI point of entry.