Animal products

The use of cat, dog, and seal furs is strictly regulated by legislation.

Cat and dog furs

In principle, the importation into, or the marketing within, the EU, of cat and dog furs and of products that contain such furs is banned. By way of derogation from this principle, the Commission can make exceptions (for example, for educational purposes, or for taxidermy) to permit their importation into, or their marketing within, the EU.

As concerns certain cat furs, the provisions of animal conservation legislation may apply in addition to animal welfare legislation.

Seal products

What are seal products?

Seal products are all processed or unprocessed products that originate or are derived from seals; they include meat, oil, blubber, organs, raw fur skins, and tanned or dressed fur skins, including products made from fur skins.

Certain seal products (such as walrus, or certain species of earless seal and sea lion) may be subject to animal conservation legislation as well as to animal welfare legislation. Animal conservation legislation, must, therefore, also be observed.

General principle and the definition of import

In principle, the import of seal products is banned.

Here "import" means any manner of importation, that is, the physical importation of product into the EU. Seal products that are not subject to this general ban, though, need not be accompanied by the attesting document before they are placed on the market. The attesting document must therefore only be presented when an application for release for free circulation is being made.

What exceptions are there to the ban on the import of seal products?

Seal products from hunts by Inuit or other indigenous communities

The import is permitted when the source of the seal products is hunts conducted in a traditional manner that contribute to the subsistence of Inuit or other indigenous communities. When seal products are imported, the products concerned must be accompanied by an attesting document (see section: "Clearance/Release for free circulation").

Clearance/release for free circulation

Customs offices can only accept customs declarations for the release of a seal product for free circulation where an attesting document is presented at the same time. The attesting document must have been issued by a recognised body, and attest that the condition for the applicability of the derogations had been met.

The list of recognised bodies can be accessed via the website Homepage of the European Commission as specified in Article 6(3) of Regulation (EU) No 737/2010.

European Commission website

The attesting documents can be paper-based or electronic. In the case of an electronic attesting document the seal product shall be accompanied by a printed copy of the attesting document.

If the attesting document is missing, the customs declaration cannot be accepted, and the consignment cannot be cleared.

Insofar as the above-mentioned conditions have been met, any customs office may release he products for free circulation in Germany.

Concluding remarks

Please be aware that in this area the Customs Administration plays only an executive role. The responsible authority is the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung). Should you require additional information, you should request it from the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food.

Finally, the veterinary health regulations must also be observed where appropriate.