New EU health certificates required for U.S. seafood exports starting Sept. 3

Alaska processors shipping salmon, pollock, crab and other products to the European Union face more paperwork on every consignment starting Sept. 3, when the EU's simplified health certificates issued for US-harvested product must carry additional information. There is a transition window for paperwork already in hand: any health certificate issued before Sept. 4 remains valid through Dec. 3. The NOAA Fisheries Office of International Affairs, Trade, and Commerce notified US exporters of the change on Thursday.

The EU adopted the two implementing regulations behind the change in June 2026, one covering shellfish and one covering fish and crustaceans; both revise the simplified model health certificate for US-harvested wild-caught and aquaculture products. NOAA says it is working with the FDA and the US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to clarify requirements with the EU, which means some implementation details remain unsettled as the deadline nears. Seafood exports to the EU are governed by a Veterinary Equivalency Agreement, under which the FDA is the regulatory authority for human foods, APHIS is the regulatory authority for animal health, and NOAA is the competent authority for export certification.

The practical shift is the volume of information a certificate must carry before NOAA will issue it: operator and destination details, ISO country codes, consignment departure time, accompanying document data, intended use, transit country, and packaging and batch information.

New attestations on animal health and antimicrobial resistance apply only to aquaculture finfish and shellfish, not to wild-caught product. To satisfy the antibiotic provisions, the FDA is collecting declarations of non-use from facilities exporting to the EU through its Export Listing Module, which NOAA draws on to issue certificates. Aquaculture exporters with questions can reach the FDA Export Certification Team at [email protected].

NOAA states that these changes are separate from EU CATCH and Legal Harvest Certificate requirements. Alaska News previously covered an extension NOAA secured allowing continued use of the US Legal Harvest Certificate for EU shipments through Nov. 30, 2026.

The stakes for Alaska's seafood industry are large. At a June 2025 US House oversight hearing on seafood competitiveness, Brock Hunter said Alaska "accounts for 60% of America's domestic harvest and 70% that is exported."

NOAA advises exporters to work with supply chain partners now to confirm that the required data is available, and to plan for possible delays on aquaculture shipments after Sept. 3. The agency says it will update NOAA Handbook Part 7 – Certification once it receives the necessary clarifications from the EU, and it advises exporters to monitor NOAA communications for updated guidance. Questions on NOAA certificates go to [email protected].