Importing and exporting plants and plant products

Last updated: 1 February 2024

The Northern Ireland plant health label (NIPHL) scheme is a way for growers and traders in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) to move certain products to Northern Ireland. Like the UK plant passport scheme, the NIPHL scheme makes sure checks for pests and diseases are carried out and goods can be traced. This means growers and traders can move these goods with a NIPHL and without a phytosanitary certificate.

The Windsor Framework and NIPHL does not impact on marketing requirements. For more information, contact your local APHA inspector or, if you are based in Scotland, seedtesting@sasa.gov.scot.

If you move plant produce such as fruit or vegetables, or cut flowers from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, please refer to guidance on the NI Retail Movement Scheme.

Goods you can move with a Northern Ireland plant health label

Growers and traders can move: 

• plants and seeds for planting (plants and seeds which will be grown on by professional growers or traded for retail sale)
• seed potatoes (for commercial growing)
• used agricultural and forestry machinery and vehicles

Movement of these goods is only permitted if the following requirements are met:

1. The movement of goods is between an authorised professional operator in Great Britain and a registered professional operator in Northern Ireland. Only professional operators registered with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland can receive goods with an NIPHL attached.

2. Goods must remain in Northern Ireland. They cannot be moved on to the Republic of Ireland or other EU countries.

3. Goods must have a valid NIPHL attached: for plants and seeds for planting, the NIPHL must be attached to the smallest tradeable unit - this could be pots, trays or pallets:

• for seed potatoes, the NIPHL must be attached to the consignment
• for used agricultural and forestry machinery and vehicles, the NIPHL must be attached to the individual object

4. Growers and traders must be authorised to issue and print NIPHLs if they want to move plants and seeds for planting or used agricultural and forestry machinery and vehicles from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

5. For movements of seed potatoes, the competent authority will issue the NIPHL and growers and traders must be authorised to print NIPHLs. For those based in Scotland, similar but separate arrangements apply. Please contact spcsapps@sasa.gov.scot.

How to register as a professional operator

To attach NIPHLs you must first register as a professional operator with the correct competent authority. If you are based in England or Wales, you must register as a plant health professional operator with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). If you are based in Scotland, register with Scottish Government.

If you are already registered as a professional operator, you may need to provide supplementary information including informing the competent authority that you wish to be registered for NIPHL. You are already registered as a professional operator if you:

• are authorised to issue UK plant passports
• are registered on the Seed Potato Classification Scheme (SPCS)
• are a registered seed company
• have previously exported any goods regulated for plant health purposes, including used agricultural and forestry machinery and vehicles

If you have previously moved used agricultural and forestry machinery from Scotland, you will not be registered as a professional operator, and will have to register as a professional operator with Scottish Government to issue and attach an NIPHL.

Plants for planting, seeds and used agricultural and forestry machinery: get authorisation to issue Northern Ireland plant health labels

To become authorised to print and issue an NIPHL for plants, seeds or machinery, you must:

• have appropriate knowledge and competence, for example to recognise pests and diseases of concern
• be registered as a professional operator
• apply for authorisation to issue NIPHLs

If you are based in England and Wales, you will need to apply to APHA for authorisation.

If you are based in Scotland, you will need to contact Scottish Government for authorisation. Please refer to the contact section at the end of this page.

APHA or Scottish Government will send you an email when your application is approved. The email will contain your NIPHL authorisation number.

In line with UK plant passport arrangements, a site visit and inspection may be required to confirm freedom from relevant pests and diseases.

If you intend to move used agricultural and forestry machinery and vehicles, then you can attach your NIPHLs once you have your authorisation number.

You will have to renew your authorisation once a year.

Moving plants and seeds for planting to Northern Ireland

Before you move your plants or seeds to Northern Ireland, you must:

• examine any plants or seeds to make sure they meet the phytosanitary requirements for Northern Ireland
• print off the NIPHL
• attach your NIPHL to the smallest tradeable unit
• make sure your consignment is being sent to a registered professional operator in Northern Ireland

The business (or their agent) receiving the NIPHL goods in Northern Ireland must notify details of the consignment to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland by submitting a CHED-PP on TRACES NT. This will provide DAERA with the details needed to conduct relevant documentary, ID and physical processes on arrival at an SPS Facility in Northern Ireland.

It is the responsibility of the authorised operator in Great Britain to provide the recipient in Northern Ireland with the following information to allow the recipient to complete the CHED-PP:

• a packing list, providing details of the EPPO (European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization) code, product type, net weight, package count, type of package and country of origin
• the NIPHL details, providing the full botanical name, NIPHL registration number and traceability code
• an NIPHL pro-forma, providing the consignment reference, Great Britain authorised operator details and Northern Ireland professional operator details

The authorised operator in Great Britain must also make sure the recipient in Northern Ireland has details of the movement, including the:

• point of entry
• date and time of arrival
• vehicle registration or container ID

Moving used agricultural and forest machinery or vehicles to Northern Ireland

You can move machinery or vehicles from Great Britain to Northern Ireland using the NIPHL scheme, where the goods are destined for Northern Ireland. That is, they are intended for use by, or sale to, an end consumer in Northern Ireland. 

Where the machinery or vehicles are moved to Northern Ireland for onward sale to the Republic of Ireland or other EU countries, full Official Controls Regulations (OCR) rules apply and a phytosanitary certificate is required.  On occasions whereby the machinery or vehicles remain in Northern Ireland, costs associated with phytosanitary certification can be reimbursed through the Movement Assistance Scheme (MAS). 

Before you move machinery or vehicles to Northern Ireland, you must: 

• make sure any machinery or vehicle is cleaned and free from soil and plant debris 
• print off the NIPHL 
• attach the NIPHL to the individual piece of machinery or vehicle 
• make sure your consignment is being sent to a registered professional operator in Northern Ireland 

The business (or their agent) receiving the NIPHL goods in Northern Ireland must notify DAERA in Northern Ireland of details of the consignment by submitting a CHED-PP on TRACES NT. This will provide DAERA with information needed to conduct relevant documentary, ID and physical processes on arrival at an SPS Facility in Northern Ireland. 

It is the responsibility of the authorised operator in Great Britain to provide the recipient in Northern Ireland with the following information to allow the recipient to complete the CHED-PP: 

• registration number of the vehicle being moved, where applicable 
• the NIPHL  details, giving the machinery make and model, NIPHL registration number and traceability code 
• an NIPHL  pro-forma, providing the consignment reference, Great Britain authorised operator details and Northern Ireland professional operator details 

The authorised operator in Great Britain must also make sure the recipient in Northern Ireland has details of the movement, including the: 

• point of entry 
• date and time of arrival 
• transporting vehicle registration number

Seed potatoes: how to get authorisation to attach Northern Ireland plant health labels

To move seed potatoes from England or Wales to Northern Ireland you will need to apply to APHA for authorisation.

To move seed potatoes from Scotland to Northern Ireland you will need to apply to Scottish Government for authorisation. Email spcs@sasa.gov.scot for details of the authorisation process.

If your application is approved, you will be sent an email to confirm your authorisation and your NIPHL authorisation number.

You will have to renew your authorisation once a year.

Moving seed potatoes to Northern Ireland

Before moving seed potatoes to Northern Ireland, you must notify APHA or Scottish Government that you intend to move seed potatoes, including the:

• SPCS certificate number of the stock
• quantity you want to move
• container size
• number of NIPHLs you need

APHA or Scottish Government will check SPCS records to confirm your stock is eligible for NIPHLs. Under SPCS all seed potatoes are graded. Only pre-basic or basic grade seed potatoes are eligible to move to Northern Ireland as part of their status as a Protected Region (this applies to all seed potatoes being introduced into Northern Ireland, not just those being introduced from Great Britain under these arrangements). Compliance with Protected Region requirements will be included as part of the NIPHL assessment.

Compliance with Protected Region requirements will be included as part of the NIPHL assessment.

APHA or Scottish Government will conduct annual inspections in line with the GB regime to ensure Northern Ireland phytosanitary requirements are met. They will then issue you with your NIPHLs. When you get your NIPHLs, you must:

• attach a NIPHL to the consignment
• make sure your stock is being sent to a professional operator registered in Northern Ireland

The business (or their agent) receiving the NIPHL goods in Northern Ireland must notify details of the consignment to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland by submitting a CHED-PP on TRACES NT. This will provide DAERA with details needed to conduct relevant documentary, ID and physical processes on arrival at an SPS Facility in Northern Ireland.

It is the responsibility of the authorised operator in Great Britain to provide the recipient in Northern Ireland with the following information to allow the recipient to complete the CHED-PP form:

• a packing list, providing details of the EPPO code, product type, net weight, package count, type of package and country of origin
• the NIPHL details, providing the full botanical name or machinery make and model, NIPHL registration number and traceability code
• an NIPHL pro-forma, providing the consignment reference, Great Britain authorised operator details and Northern Ireland professional operator details

The authorised operator in Great Britain must also make sure the recipient in Northern Ireland has details of the movement, including the:

• point of entry
• date and time of arrival
• vehicle registration or container ID

You must only move seed potatoes to Northern Ireland to other professional operators and the seed potatoes can only be planted in Northern Ireland by commercial growers registered as professional operators.

When an NIPHL is used to move seed potatoes from Great Britain to Northern Ireland in accordance with Northern Ireland SPCS requirements, their resulting harvested seed potatoes can be classified as Northern Irish seed potatoes under the SPCS and sold into the EU.

When you will be inspected for NIPHL

An inspector will visit once a year to conduct an annual records audit (ARA) in line with the GB regime. This is to make sure that you have a good knowledge of plant health. The inspector will also check you have a suitable record keeping system. It must provide suitable traceability for any goods you move. A record will be made to verify:

• the format of your NIPHL
• your knowledge of relevant pests and diseases
• the plant health awareness of other nursery staff, including the arrangements for when responsibility of the person named on the authorisation is delegated to other nursery staff.

The ARA is usually completed between November and March.

Authorised professional operators in Great Britain will be required to keep records of their NIPHLs, including the traceability code on the NIPHL, for a minimum of 3 years.

Further inspections

If you are moving plants for planting, you may require a growing season inspection in addition to an ARA as is the case under the GB regime. The number of inspections you need will depend on the plants you are moving.

If you are moving seed potatoes, you will receive all necessary inspections as part of inspections that take place under the SPCS by APHA or Scottish Government.

If you are moving used agricultural and forestry machinery and vehicles, you will not have any inspections before you issue your NIPHL.

What to include on your Northern Ireland plant health label

When you move your goods, you must make sure your NIPHL is distinct and separate from information on any other labels.

The NIPHL must include the words ‘NI Plant Health Label’ at the top of the label.

The NIPHL has a similar format to the UK plant passport (which includes details in line with those described for parts A-C).

The NIPHL must also include:

Part A: botanical names or make and model for machinery

You must include the botanical names of the plants or plant material. This should be a full genus and species name.

A genus name is only acceptable on its own if the species name is not known. Variety or cultivar names are optional.

For agricultural and forestry machinery and vehicles, you must include the make and model of the machinery or vehicle.

Part B: NIPHL registration number

You must include your NIPHL registration number. This number is given to you in your email confirming you have been given authorisation by APHA or Scottish Government.

Part C: Traceability code

You must include a traceability code which links to your records. This can be an existing code used to trace or identify a consignment. For example, it could be an individual serial, week, batch or invoice number.

Part D: QR code - compliance statement

Following this guidance will mean you will meet the requirements in the Windsor Framework.

All NIPHLs must give assurance you have met the requirements set out in EU legislation 2023/1231. This is done by printing the QR code and putting it in Part D of your NIPHL. The QR code links to the Windsor Framework requirements.

If you cannot use the QR code

If it is not practical to use the QR code for a NIPHL, authorised operators can print an NIPHL with text from the Windsor Framework. This should only be done in exceptional circumstances. The QR code should be used unless there is a good reason not to.

If you must print an NIPHL without a QR code, including when authorised to do so for seed potato NIPHLs, check with your local inspector for details of the statement to include.

More information

If you want more information on issuing NIPHLs, contact the DAERA Plant Health Inspection Branch:

Plant and tree health department
Telephone: 0300 200 7847
Email: planthealth@daera-ni.gov.uk