Topics

• Permits, certificates and notifications needed for trade into, from and inside the EU
  
  
• Welfare, health and invasive species issues applicable to wild animals and plants in trade
  
  
• Captive Breeding and artificial propagation: definitions and regulations
  
  
• Marking and labelling of EU and CITES regulated wildlife specimens
  
  
• Trade in Personal Effects and household goods
  
  
• Wildlife Souvenirs Guide for travellers or people who live abroad.
  
  
• Trade in Caviar and labelling requirements for caviar containers
  
  

Aimed at meeting CITES provisions, EC Wildlife Trade Regulations currently regulate the trade in more than 30 000 species of wild animals and plants and parts and products thereof. These regulatory measures [Council Regulation (EC) No. 338/97 and Commission Regulation (EC) No.865/2006] operate through a system of permits, certificates and notifications that must be obtained before trade can take place and must be presented when crossing EU borders. The document (PDF file) provides an overview of the paper work required to legally trade in specimens of species that are listed in the four annexes of the Regulations and describes the procedures that must be followed and conditions to be met before the relevant documents will be issued. There are two main parts to this PDF file: the first one deals with external EU trade, i.e. import from a third country into the EU and export as well as re-export from the EU to a third country; and the second part covers internal EU trade, whether it be trade between EU Member States or inside one EU Member State.

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Live animals and plants, particularly exotic specimens, have specific biological needs (food, temperature, humidity, etc.) and therefore traders and keepers need to be aware of these natural necessities so that they can provide the best possible care to the specimen in their possession to avoid suffering and death of the specimen. Traders in live animals and plants, particularly retailers, have a certain level of legal responsibility and should ensure that their customers are well informed about the biological specificities and care requirements of the species they purchase. These legal obligations as well as the most important aspects related to welfare of live animals (such as keeping and caring, transport and exhibiting as well as examples of fair rules) are covered in the document (PDF file). This section also provides links to sources of information on keeping and caring for commonly kept species and on the potential risks involved, ranging from the escape of exotic species and the potential ecological threats posed to.

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Many exotic pets or ornamental plants such as orchids and cacti in trade in the EU are not harvested in the wild but have in fact been bred in captivity or artificially propagated. When carried out according to CITES and EC Regulations provisions, breeding exotic pets in captivity, or propagating plants in nurseries, does not put the same pressure on wild populations as wild collection, and still allows consumers to enjoy keeping an exotic pet or plant. For these reasons, the trade in captive born and bred animals and artificially propagated plants benefits  from special provisions that include derogations when all conditions defined in EC Wildlife Trade Regulations are met. Reference to the relevant articles (special provisions and necessary conditions) to be fulfilled are indicated and explained (PDF file).

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To prevent fraud and to curtail illegal trade in species listed in the Annexes of EC Regulations, certain live specimens and some wildlife products have to be uniquely marked or labelled. This applies for example to live specimens of certain species, to crocodile skins and to caviar containers. The ‘marking and labelling’ PDF file provides an overview of these marking and labelling requirements and describes some of the commonly used techniques, such as crocodile skin tags, caviar container labels, tortoise marking and photo identification.

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If you are not a commercial wildlife trader, but an ordinary traveller or expatriate coming home with your household effects, you must be aware that EC Wildlife Trade Regulations apply to all “trade”. The latter includes non-commercial movements across EU external borders and third countries’ frontiers by private personstransporting a wildlife specimen covered by EC Wildlife Trade Regulations, either as part of a household move or as part of their personal belongings. This also applies to hunting trophies as well as tourist souvenirs made from wildlife and purchased during your holidays. The ‘personal and household effects’ PDF file explains your obligations with regard to personal belongings that you wish to carry with you.

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Wildlife tourist souvenirs such as stuffed animals, rain sticks (made from cacti), shells, corals, or other curio made of fauna and flora are among the items most often seized by custom officers in the EU. Bringing wildlife souvenirs home from your holiday may be a nice memory, but beware that trade in many animal and plant species, as well as their parts and products, is controlled under CITES and EC Wildlife Trade Regulations. The introduction in the EU of such presents and souvenirs will therefore either require a permit or be prohibited. The ‘Wildlife Souvenirs Guide’ PDF file provides information on the type of wildlife souvenir that will require a permit and what you should avoid buying because international trade is banned.
Click here to download the Wildlife Souvenirs Guide to 20 popular holiday destinations.

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