Importing pet food and dog treats into the UK: who needs to take responsibility?
By Drew Cooper, Founder & CEO · Last reviewed: 30 October 2026
There is no "Responsible Person" for pet food in UK law. The equivalent is a feed business operator registered in Great Britain, whose name and address appear on the label as the business responsible for it. If your business is based outside the UK, a UK business needs to take that role. Pet food made with meat, fish or other animal products also has its own import controls.
Who has to be responsible
Every business importing feed into Great Britain, pet food included, must be registered or approved as a feed business operator with its local authority, and the label must name the feed business operator responsible for it. Lantara is registered to act as your feed business operator, so our name and address go on your pack and your Amazon listing, and we take responsibility for the product's compliance alongside you.
What goes on a pet food label
- The type of feed: complete or complementary. Most treats are complementary feed.
- The species it is for, such as dogs or cats.
- The composition, with ingredients in descending order by weight.
- The analytical constituents, such as protein, fat, fibre and ash.
- Additives, where they must be declared.
- Feeding instructions.
- A batch or lot reference, the net quantity and the minimum storage life.
- The name and address of the feed business operator responsible for the labelling.
- The approval or registration number of the manufacturing site.
- A free phone number or other way for customers to get in touch.
Pet food made with animal products
Food and treats containing meat, fish or other animal products have extra controls. In general the manufacturing site must be approved to supply Great Britain, the consignment needs a health certificate, the import must be pre-notified on IPAFFS, and it can be checked at a border control post. These controls apply to imports from the EU as well as the rest of the world. Which ones apply depends on the product and where it comes from, so we confirm the position for your product before your first shipment.
The UK and EU are negotiating a sanitary and phytosanitary agreement, which the government intends to take effect in mid-2027. Until it does, the current rules apply.
Claims to watch
Pet food can talk about nutrition, but not about treating or preventing disease. Claims like that can make a product a veterinary medicine, which is regulated by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate.
From our work
A Baltic producer of dried fish dog treats moving from wholesale to Amazon UK. The site was already approved for export and the lab work was done. The gap was a feed business operator in Great Britain to name on the pack and stand behind the product, which is where we came in.
Questions we get asked
Do we need our own UK company? No. You can sell through a UK feed business operator such as Lantara. As you grow, for example into wholesale or your own UK warehouse, your own UK company may make more sense, and we will tell you when it does.
Do we still need UK VAT? If you hold stock in the UK, usually yes. See how long UK VAT registration takes.
Who clears the goods through customs? Your freight forwarder or customs agent. See importer of record, EORI and customs.
How Lantara helps
We review your pet food labels, act as your feed business operator in Great Britain, and handle your UK VAT. See UK product compliance and labelling, or start with a free readiness check.