It is the responsibility of anyone importing high-priority plants and plant products from outside GB, including those from the EU, to ensure that GB import requirements for those goods have been met.

To import high-priority plants and plant products from the EU to GB, the person responsible for the goods must ensure they have obtained a phytosanitary certificate and have correctly pre-notified the consignment on the PEACH system: this also extends to importers who are opting to use the arrangements provided by the multi-drop system.

Importers utilising the multidrop system must ensure they pass forward information regarding the Phytosanitary certificate and PEACH application number off the drop off points for the consignment to ensure goods can be traced back to the notification on PEACH. This provides a direct line of traceability to the relevant plant health authorities. If you are not yet registered for a PEACH account, you can do so here.

For goods to be inspected by the Plant Health services they must be delivered to a registered Place of Destination (PoD). The PoD must be registered with APHA; details of registration and the appropriate form can be found at gov.uk. Importers can only register PoDs in their own name when they have ownership of that site.

Where necessary, importers and PoDs must confirm the business relationship between them to ensure their accounts are linked in PEACH and that valid applications can be completed.

This can be completed via email to the PoD registration inbox at PODRegistrations@apha.gov.uk.

Example email statement: As importer X – name and full address, I require to be linked with PoD Y – name and full address, in the PEACH system.

For high-priority goods to enter GB, the importer must ensure they:

• declare the high-priority goods to be inspected at a valid PoD in PEACH;
• include the availability time for inspection at the PoD in PEACH, making sure this is within the Service Level Agreement (SLA) times- more details in section below;
  ● transport the goods to the specified PoD in due time for inspection by the Plant
  Health services;
  ● provide the import information to the PoD expecting the goods and;
  ● keep the PoD informed of the status of the consignment on PEACH. 

Failure to correctly pre-notify may result in consignments being held at the Place of Destination until the requirement is met and/or being destroyed. Please note that consignments must not be released until they are discharged by the plant health services (indicated by a green ball in the PEACH system).

Repeat or serious non-compliances will be addressed with effective and proportionate enforcement measures, in line with Defra’s enforcement policy statement.