Frequency of Plant Health Import Inspections Across GB

Updated: 25th February 2025

These frequencies apply to certain regulated goods imported into Great Britain. This GB focused risk-based import inspection regime aims to ensure that impacts from plant health checks are kept at a level appropriate to the degree of risk posed by different categories of commodities and that Great Britain’s phytosanitary regime remains appropriate to address the biosecurity risks which GB faces.

The frequencies are detailed in Table 1.

Table 1: Frequencies of Checks applicable for goods specified in Part A of Annex 11 of the retained Phytosanitary Conditions Regulation (EU) 2019/2072.

Category and description of plant, plant product or other object	Country of origin	Frequency of Physical and Identity check	Frequency of documentary check (%)
Bulbs, corms, rhizomes, tubers (other than tubers of potatoes), onions, shallots, garlic, leeks and other alliaceous vegetables, dormant, not in substrate
All genera intended for planting, other than commercial flower production, and not intended for final users	Any third country	100	100
All genera intended for planting, and intended for commercial flower production, or for final users	Any third country	10	100
Cuttings, seedlings intended for planting, not specified or included anywhere else in this table
All genera	Any third country	100	100
Plants for planting
Woody plants(2) (other than specified or included elsewhere in this table), intended for planting and intended for final users(1). All genera	Any third country	100	100
Non-woody plants(3) (other than specified or included elsewhere in this table), intended for planting. All genera	Any third country	30	100
Indoor plants(4). All genera	Any third country	5	100
Other plants (other than specified or included elsewhere in this table), intended for planting. All genera	Any third country	100	100
Cut flowers
Dendranthema (DC.) Des Moul. (Chrysanthemum L.)	Any EU Member State, or Switzerland	3	3
Dendranthema (DC.) Des Moul. (Chrysanthemum L.)	Any third country other than an EU Member State, or Switzerland	100	100
Dianthus	Columbia	5	100
	Ecuador	10	100
	Kenya	5	100
	Turkey	25	100
	Any third country other than an EU Member State, Columbia, Ecuador, Kenya, Switzerland, or Turkey	100	100
Eryngium Tournier ex Linnaeus.	Any third country other than an EU Member State, European third country, Liechtenstein or Switzerland	10	100
Gypsophila	Ecuador	5	100
	Kenya	5	100
	Any third country other than an EU Member State, Ecuador, Kenya, or Switzerland	100	100
Lisianthus L.	Any third country other than an EU member state, European third country, Liechtenstein or Switzerland	10	100
Rosa L.	Colombia, Ecuador	3	100
	Ethiopia, Kenya	25	100
	Any third country other than an EU Member State, Colombia, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Kenya or Switzerland	100	100
Solidago L.	Any EU Member State, Liechtenstein or Switzerland	3	3
Solidago L.	Any third country other than an EU Member State, Liechtenstein or Switzerland	10	100
Other genera not specified or included elsewhere in this table	Any EU Member State, Liechtenstein or Switzerland	3	3
	Any third country other than an EU Member State, Liechtenstein or Switzerland	5	100
Branches with foliage, parts of Conifers (other than bark or cut Christmas trees)
All genera	Any EU Member State, Liechtenstein or Switzerland	3	3
All genera	Any third country other than an EU Member State, Liechtenstein or Switzerland	5	100
Fruit, vegetables, leaves
Momordica L.	Any EU Member State, Liechtenstein or Switzerland	3	3
Momordica L.	Any third country other than an EU Member State, Liechtenstein or Switzerland	50	100
Ocimum L.	Any EU Member State or Switzerland	3	3
Ocimum L.	Any third country other than an EU Member State or Switzerland	100	100
Solanaceae Juss. (other than Solanum tuberosum L. Solanum lycopersicum , Solanum melongena L. and Capsicum sp.)	Any EU Member State, Liechtenstein or Switzerland	3	3
	Any third country other than an EU Member State, Liechtenstein or Switzerland	50	100
Solanum lycopersicum	Any EU Member State or Switzerland	3	3
	Morocco	5	100
	Canary Islands	15	100
	Any third country other than the Canary Islands, an EU Member State, Morocco or Switzerland	100	100
Solanum melongena L.	Any EU Member State, Liechtenstein or Switzerland	3	3
	Turkey	30	100
	Any third country other than an EU Member State, Liechtenstein, Switzerland or Turkey	50	100
Capsicum	Any EU Member State or Switzerland	3	3
Capsicum	Any third country other than an EU Member State or Switzerland	100	100
Zea mays	Any EU Member State or Switzerland	3	3
Zea mays	Any third country other than an EU Member State or Switzerland	100	100
Ipomoea batatas	Any EU Member State or Switzerland	3	3
	Any third country other than Cameroon, an EU Member State or Switzerland	5	100
	Cameroon	100	100
Persea americana	Any third country other than Cameroon, an EU Member State or Switzerland	5	100
Persea americana	Cameroon	100	100
Vitis	Any third country other than an EU Member State or Switzerland	5	100
Malus	European third countries(5)	10	100
	Argentina	75	100
	Chile	5	100
	New Zealand	15	100
	South Africa	15	100
	Any third country other than Argentina, Chile, an EU Member State, New Zealand, South Africa, Switzerland or European Third countries(5)	100	100
Pyrus	Argentina	25	100
	Chile	15	100
	China	50	100
	European third countries(5)	10	100
	South Africa	10	100
	Any third country other than Argentina, Chile, China, an EU Member State, European third countries, South Africa or Switzerland	100	100
Fragaria	Any third country other than an EU Member State or Switzerland	5	100
Fragaria	Egypt	100	100
Rubus	Any third country other than an EU Member State or Switzerland	5	100
Vaccinium	European third countries(5)	50	100
	Argentina	50	100
	Chile	15	100
	Peru	5	100
	Any third country other than Argentina, Chile, an EU Member State, Peru, Switzerland or European Third Countries(5)	100	100
Zingiber officinale	Any third country other than Cameroon, an EU Member State, Peru or Switzerland	5	100
Zingiber officinale	Cameroon and Peru	100	100
Asparagus officinalis	Any EU Member State or Switzerland	3	3
Asparagus officinalis	Any third country other than an EU Member State or Switzerland	100	100
Other genera or species of fruit or vegetables not specified or included elsewhere in this table	Any EU Member State, Liechtenstein or Switzerland	3	3
	Any third country other than an EU Member State, Liechtenstein or Switzerland	5	100
Other leaves not specified or included elsewhere in this table	Any EU Member State, Liechtenstein or Switzerland	3	3
	Any third country other than an EU Member State, Liechtenstein or Switzerland	5	100
Seeds (for sowing), tissue cultures
All genera, for trials or testing	Any third country	10	100
Brassicaceae (other than for trials or testing)	Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, New Zealand or Uruguay	100	100
Capsicum spp. L. (other than for trials or testing)	Any third country	100	100
Poaceae (other than for trials or testing)	Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, New Zealand or Uruguay	100	100
Solanum lycopersicum L. (other than for trials or testing)	Any third country	100	100
Solanum tuberosum L. (True seed) (other than for trials or testing)	Any third country	100	100
Trifolium spp. (other than for trials or testing)	Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, New Zealand or Uruguay	100	100
Secale L.	Afghanistan, India, Iran, Iraq, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, South Africa or the USA	100	100
Triticum L.	Afghanistan, India, Iran, Iraq, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, South Africa or the USA	100	100
X Triticosecale Wittm. ex A. Camus	Afghanistan, India, Iran, Iraq, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, South Africa or the USA	100	100
Other genera or species not specified or included elsewhere in this table	Any third country	5	100
Grain (other than seeds for sowing)
Secale L.	Afghanistan, India, Iran, Iraq, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, South Africa or the USA	100	100
Triticum L.	Afghanistan, India, Iran, Iraq, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, South Africa or the USA	100	100
X Triticosecale Wittm. ex A. Camus	Afghanistan, India, Iran, Iraq, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, South Africa or the USA	100	100
Tubers of potatoes
Solanum tuberosum L. (seed potatoes)	Any third country	100	100
Solanum tuberosum L. (ware potatoes)	Portugal or Romania	50	100
	Egypt, Poland or Spain	100	100
	Any third country other than Egypt, Poland, Portugal, Romania or Spain	3	100
Cut Christmas trees (less than 3 metres in height)
All genera	Any EU Member State, Liechtenstein or Switzerland	3	3
All genera	Any third country other than an EU Member State, Liechtenstein or Switzerland	5	100
Machinery or vehicles which have been operated for agricultural or forestry purposes
Machinery or vehicles which have been operated for agricultural or forestry purposes	Any third country	5	100
Wood, wood products and isolated bark
All genera	Any third country	100	100

(1) “Intended for final users” means intended, by evidence from the packaging, labelling or by other means, for direct supply to final users.

(2)“Woody plants” means plants which have a woody or partly woody stem, and includes all trees, forest reproductive material (other than seed), shrubs and palms, and those vines and perennial herbs with woody or partly woody stems; and for this purpose, “perennial herbs” means herbs for which the average life exceeds two years.

(3) “Non-woody plants” means plants which are not woody plants.

(4)“Indoor plants” means plants which appear from their packaging, labelling or by other means to be intended for direct supply to final users for indoor use or use in aquaria.

(5) European Countries = includes Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canary Islands, the Faeroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Russia (only the following parts: Central Federal District (Tsentralnyfederalny okrug), Federal District (Severo-Zapadnyfederalny okrug), Southern Federal District (Yuzhnyfederalny okrug), North Caucasian Federal District (Severo-Kavkazskyfederalny okrug) and Volga Federal District (Privolzhskyfederalny okrug), San Marino, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine).

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Frequency of plant health import inspections across GB

Frequency of Plant Health Import Inspections Across GB

Table 1: Frequencies of Checks applicable for goods specified in Part A of Annex 11 of the retained Phytosanitary Conditions Regulation (EU) 2019/2072.