Import guide · European Union
Germany poultry import guide: trade evidence, permits and border steps
Germany reported USD 2.24 billion of poultry-meat imports in 2024 (HS 0207, 743,147 t) and the largest egg-import value (HS 0407: USD 836 million). Most of this is intra-EU trade; non-EU product enters only from countries listed in the EU animal- and public-health regulations, from listed establishments, with a CHED-P in TRACES at a border control post.
Checked . Trade figures are 2025 and 2024 UN Comtrade data published by World Bank WITS, by product code; 2025 reporting is still incomplete. They are historical evidence only — not proof that any origin or plant is eligible today, has stock, or will quote.
Trade evidence by product lane, 2025 and 2024
| Product lane | HS code | 2025 imports | 2024 imports |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poultry meat | 0207 | USD 3.28 billion860,031 t | USD 2.24 billion743,147 t |
| Eggs in shellTable and hatching eggs combined. | 0407 | USD 1.05 billion346,173 t | USD 836.4 million356,140 t |
| Day-old chicks and live birds | 0105.11 | USD 118.6 million107.20 million birds | USD 87.41 million76.04 million birds |
- The WITS figures include intra-EU trade; they do not show demand for non-EU origins.
Official import authority, permit and certificate sources
Eligibility is specific to the commodity, origin country and region, establishment and current disease status, and it changes. Check the current official list for the exact consignment. How rules differ for live birds, hatching eggs, eggs, meat and machinery.
- European Commission — EU entry conditions (poultry, hatching eggs and poultry products) Entry conditions and factsheets
- Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 — listed third countries (Annex XIV: poultry meat) Animal-health country lists
- European Commission — non-EU countries and authorised establishments Establishment lists (TRACES)
Border entry steps
- Confirm the origin is listed for the commodity in Regulation (EU) 2021/404 and 2021/405, and the plant is on the published TRACES establishment list.
- The importer pre-notifies the consignment with a CHED-P in TRACES and presents it at an EU border control post with the official certificate.
- Product released at a German or other EU border post can then circulate within the EU single market.
Buyer checklist and product specification
- Name the exact product: species, cut or form, chilled or frozen, packing, labelling language and shelf life required on arrival.
- State the volume per shipment and per year, delivery window and Incoterm, and the total programme or lot value (USD 250,000 or more).
- Confirm who is the licensed importer of record and who holds the import permit or registration.
- Ask every offering plant to show it is on the destination's current establishment list for that product — before price is discussed.
- For eggs, state class, grading, stamping and packing-centre requirements under EU marketing rules.
Cold-chain and live-animal handling
- EU hygiene rules require chilled poultry meat at not more than 4 °C; frozen product is commonly shipped at −18 °C or colder. State remaining shelf life at the border post.
Send an RFQ
HatchMatch coordinates sourcing and RFQs for commercial buyers. It does not own farms, hatcheries, slaughterhouses or stock, and cannot guarantee supply, customs clearance, delivery, certification or price. Requests start at USD 250,000; buyers pay nothing. Every brief is reviewed by a person before any supplier is approached, and your identity stays private — we aim to reply within two business days.
Chicks, hatching eggs and breeder stock are scoped inside a hatchery or breeder project brief. Sourcing other agri-food commodities? Global B2B Group commodity sourcing.