New European Union Regulations on Shipping Trophies
New European Union Regulations on Shipping Trophies
WHAT YOUR TAXIDERMY, TANNERY OR DIPPING STATION SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE NEW EU REGULATION
The current situation is as follows;
First the good news:
Certain EU countries have recognized that the new EU Regulation No. 142/2011 from Brussels were announced without sufficient notice, and implementation as of 1st May has been provisionally suspended. We can. However commence shipping to restricted destination countries only.
Less good news:
All Namibian Taxidermists are obliged to apply for registration within the EU-"TRACES" System with the Directorate of Veterinary Services if they wish to continue business with the EU in future. The contact at the Government Office Park is the Chief Veterinarian for Export / Import, Dr. Misilika, but I assume that if you direct your request to your local State Vet (Dr.) he/she will take it up with the responsible department/person in the Directorate. As indicated below, the procedure should be known within the Directorate, since hunting trophy exports will be dealt with in a similar manner as Namibian meat and fish exports.
It is imperative, that the taxidermists are captured within the system without further delay. Some regular EU transit and destination countries are currently closed for the importation of Namibian hunting trophies and will only authorize imports from registered taxidermists. The new EU Regulation is published and will be fully implemented in the EU within the foreseeable future.
We trust that our members understand the importance of this information and will take the necessary measures as a matter of urgency.
WHAT YOU AS TROPHY OUTFITTER NEED TO KNOW
On the 21st April 2011 Namibia was duly informed by various import brokers in the EU, that NEW import regulations for hunting trophies are being implemented on the 1st May 2011. Reference is made to the EU Regulation No. 142/2011 from Brussels (consisting of 254 pages in total....).
A) All Namibian Taxidermists are obliged to apply for registration within the EU-"TRACES" System with the Directorate of Veterinary Services in Namibia, if they wish to continue business with the EU in future. This is less of a concern for the general Namibian hunting fraternity. It is currently causing a temporary delay in shipping to certain EU member countries until the registration procedure has been completed, but will hopefully be resolved soon.
It should be mentioned, that certain EU member States have temporarily lifted the new EU Regulation for an indefinite period. Shipping of trophies out of Namibia into and via the EU ( in transit ) can commence again to/via restricted countries only.
B) Furthermore, In accordance with the EU Regulation No. 142/2011 all hunting trophies originating in Namibia must, with immediate effect ( 1st May 2011 ), be exported via a Veterinary approved and "TRACES" registered taxidermist. The Namibian exporter must therefore be a Namibian taxidermist (similar to operational procedures in other neighboring countries ). This means, that the EU does not allow raw/unworked/dipped trophies to enter the EU from the source/origin directly. The taking along of trophies ( and other products of animal origin ) by hunters into the EU or in transit through the EU is discouraged with immediate effect, unless the items originate from a registered taxidermist.
For many members the new EU import Regulations will cause a re-assesment of the post-hunting trophy handling operations. We suggest that you contact your usual local shipping agent or taxidermist for further guidance and updates on developments in this regard.
Source: Namibia Professional Hunting Association (NAPHA)
