Exporting Pet Food from Thailand: Certificates, Plant Approval and Packing

Thailand is one of the world's larger pet food producers, and a steady share of what its factories make is exported: dry kibble in bags, canned wet food, retort pouches, treats and ingredient-heavy specialty lines. Many first-time exporters assume that because pet food is not eaten by people, shipping it is simply a matter of a commercial invoice and a bill of lading. It is not. Pet food contains animal-origin ingredients such as poultry, fish and meat meals, and importing countries treat those ingredients as a route for animal disease. This guide explains how the process works: who issues which paper in Thailand, what destination markets typically ask about the factory and the ingredients, how labelling fits in, which container and packing choices protect the product, and where shipments usually go wrong. It does not quote fees, processing times or country-by-country rule texts, because those change and must be confirmed with the authority and the importer before you produce a batch. Related guides cover health certificates for food exports, processed and canned food exports and cold chain for food exports.

Why pet food is treated as an animal-health product

From a customs point of view, pet food is a manufactured feed product, usually classified under the animal feed preparations heading of the Harmonized System. From an animal-health point of view it is something else: a mixture that may contain material from animals that can carry disease. Authorities in importing countries therefore ask three questions that have nothing to do with price or taste. First, where did the animal-origin ingredients come from, and is that country or zone recognised as free of the diseases the importer worries about? Second, what treatment did the product receive, and was it enough to inactivate pathogens? Third, was the product made in a factory that the importing authority, or the exporting authority on its behalf, has reason to trust? Each answer is evidenced by a document or a listing.

The level of scrutiny depends on how risky the product looks. A fully cooked, hermetically sealed can with a long shelf life is generally treated as lower risk than a dry product that contains poultry meal, and both are treated as lower risk than raw or minimally processed items. Treats and chews made from animal parts, such as dried skin, tendon or bone, often attract the strictest handling because they are closest to raw animal tissue. The point for an exporter is practical: classify your own product honestly on this spectrum before you promise a buyer a shipping date, because the paper trail you need is longer the further you are toward the raw end.

Who does what in Thailand

A pet food export involves several parties, and confusion about their roles causes more delay than any single rule. The factory or exporter owns the evidence: formulation, ingredient suppliers and their origin, process records, laboratory results and the label. The Department of Livestock Development (DLD) is the Thai authority for animal products and animal feed. Its units include veterinary quarantine stations, which handle certification and inspection for live animals and for animal products that are not for human consumption, and a standards and certification bureau that deals with health certificates for edible products and with the registration and inspection of feed and food establishments. Which DLD office handles your particular certificate depends on the product category and the destination, so ask the DLD office that supervises your factory rather than assuming. DLD's own description of its export work says Thailand generally complies with the import requirements of the destination country, which means the certificate you receive is built around the importer's wording, not a Thai template.

Thai Customs is separate. It handles the export declaration, the tariff classification and release for loading, and it does not judge animal health. The importer in the destination country is the fourth party and often the most important one: it obtains the import permit or registration that the destination demands and tells you which certificate wording is required. The freight forwarder books space, advises on the container and keeps the documents consistent. Treat the importer's written requirement as the master document and work backwards from it.

Factory registration and approval: what buyers ask for

Before any shipment, a destination market usually asks whether the factory itself is recognised. The mechanism varies, and the right way to describe it is as a family of arrangements rather than one rule. In the European Union, pet food from a third country must come from a country allowed to export that product category and from an establishment that appears on the list of approved establishments, and it must be accompanied by a health certificate that follows the model laid down in EU legislation; consignments enter through approved border control posts and the paperwork is handled in the Commission's TRACES system. In the United States, foreign facilities that manufacture, process, pack or hold pet food for US consumption are required to register with the Food and Drug Administration, to designate a US agent, and to renew the registration on the regular cycle; registration is not a quality approval, but without it the product can be held at the port. Japan and Australia rely more on product-by-product import conditions: the importing authority publishes what treatment and certification apply to each ingredient category and country of origin, and in some categories lists the facilities that may supply.

For a Thai exporter the lesson is to ask three things of every buyer: is the factory required to be on any foreign list, who applies for the listing (the factory, DLD or the importer), and how long the listing stays valid. A factory that has been inspected by a foreign authority, or whose control system DLD has presented to a foreign authority, is in a very different position from one that has never been through the process. Starting the listing process after you have a purchase order is a common reason for losing the order.

Animal-origin ingredients and how markets restrict them

The ingredient list is where most of the regulatory work sits. Importing authorities do not review a recipe as a whole; they look at each animal-origin input and ask about species, country of origin, the part of the animal used and the treatment applied. Four themes recur across the major markets.

Species and disease status. Poultry material is sensitive because of avian influenza, ruminant material because of BSE and foot-and-mouth disease, and pig material because of African swine fever and related diseases. A market may accept an ingredient from one origin and refuse it from another, or accept it only after a stated heat treatment. For example, guidance published for exporters to Japan notes that pet food containing poultry is subject to the same avian-influenza-based restrictions as poultry products for people, while fully cooked, shelf-stable extruded or retorted products are often handled differently; Japanese authorities can still ask for certification where they judge the heat treatment insufficient.

Processing. Many markets define acceptable treatment by core temperature and holding time, and the required level depends on the ingredient. Australia, for instance, publishes ingredient-specific heat treatment conditions and requires an import permit for pet food containing animal, plant or microbial ingredients; the details are in its import conditions database and they have been revised over time, so use the current entry rather than a remembered figure. Your factory must be able to show that the process records for the batch meet whatever is stated.

Origin of the ingredient, not only of the finished food. A Thai factory that buys imported poultry meal or fish meal inherits that ingredient's origin. If the destination only accepts ingredients from certain origins, an otherwise compliant product can fail because of a single input. Keep supplier invoices and the supplier's own certificates for each lot.

Raw and minimally processed products. Raw pet food, freeze-dried raw and animal-part chews sit in a separate and stricter category in most markets. In the EU, for example, raw pet food from third countries is restricted to countries on specific lists, and only where fresh meat of the same species is authorised. If your range includes such products, plan for a different and longer approval path.

From order to certificate: the sequence that works

The order in which you do things matters more than how fast you do each one. A sequence that avoids rework starts with the importer, not with the freight booking. First, obtain the destination's current requirement in writing: the permit or registration the importer holds, the certificate wording, the ingredient conditions and any labelling points. Second, compare the recipe, the ingredient origins and the factory's status against that document before the batch is produced; changing an ingredient after the certificate is requested usually means starting again. Third, produce the batch under the process records the market relies on and keep the lot code, production date, laboratory results and supplier certificates together in one file.

Fourth, apply for the health certificate through the DLD office with the supporting documents the office requests, which typically include the commercial invoice, the packing list, the product description and evidence for the ingredient and process claims. The official reviews the file, may inspect the product or the facility, and issues the certificate if the file supports the statements printed on it. A veterinarian signing a statement is certifying facts, so a certificate cannot be issued on a promise that the facts will be true later. Fifth, book space and load while the certificate is in progress, so the vessel cut-off and the certificate validity line up; some certificates are valid for a limited window from the date of issue, so ask the importer for the rule. Sixth, file the export declaration, check that the certificate details match the bill of lading, and send the originals as the importer instructs. Whether the original travels with the cargo or ahead of it is a decision for the importer and the border authority, not the exporter.

Classification and labelling

Two small items cause disproportionate trouble: the tariff code and the label. For customs, retail-packed dog and cat food is normally classified under the animal-feed preparations heading, and bulk or ingredient-type products can fall under different codes, so state the code consistently on the invoice, the packing list and the declaration. The destination importer will often tell you the code it will declare; if the two codes differ, ask why before shipping.

Labelling rules are set by the destination, not by Thailand, and they differ in structure. Typical points an importer or inspector checks are the product name and the species it is intended for, the ingredient declaration in the order and format the market uses, the nutrient analysis statement where required, the net quantity in the unit the market uses, the lot code and best-before date, the name and address of the responsible company in that market, and the language of the text. Some markets accept a sticker applied before arrival or at a bonded facility; others require the printed pack to be compliant when it leaves Thailand. Settling this before printing is much cheaper than relabelling cartons at a warehouse in the destination.

Two cautions apply. A claim printed on the pack, such as a species-specific or life-stage claim, may be treated as a regulated statement in the destination, so do not copy the Thai pack without checking. And the ingredient names on the label must match the ingredients named on the health certificate. A certificate that says chicken meal while the pack says poultry by-product meal invites a question that can hold the container.

Container choice, pallets and stowage

Most pet food moves in a standard dry container, and the real decisions are about size, loading pattern and what goes inside. Dry kibble in bags is light for its volume, so a container is usually full by volume before it reaches its weight limit. Canned wet food is the opposite: a pallet of cans is dense and heavy, and the container reaches its payload limit while there is still empty space. Work out the pallet weight and the number of pallets per container before you quote, and check the payload against the container's published figures rather than assuming that bigger is always cheaper per unit. Our guides on container sizes and container stuffing plans walk through the arithmetic.

Palletise wherever you can. Pallets keep cartons off the floor, speed up loading and reduce handling damage, and wood pallets and dunnage used in export packing must meet the ISPM 15 treatment mark that many countries require. Corner boards and stretch wrap keep a stack together, but a wrap that seals the whole pallet tightly can also trap moisture, so wrap for stability rather than for waterproofing, and put a sheet or cap on the top where water could drip. Cans need a flat, rigid layer between tiers and a stack height set by the weakest carton at the bottom; a carton that bulges under load is a warning that the stack is too high. Retort pouches need smooth carton interiors and tight packing so that they cannot shift and chafe.

A few practical choices follow. Use a container that has been inspected for holes, water stains, odour and light leaks; our container inspection checklist covers what to look for. Block and brace partial loads so that cartons cannot move. Do not combine pet food with strongly scented cargo in the same container, because kibble absorbs odours. Reserve refrigerated containers for the chilled or frozen products in your range, such as raw or fresh-frozen lines, and read the guide on reefer containers before you decide.

Humidity, condensation and heat

The most common physical damage to pet food in a container is not rough handling. It is moisture. A container is a steel box that goes through large temperature swings between a humid Thai warehouse, a ship's deck or stack and a cold or dry destination. Warm, damp air inside the box cools when the outside temperature falls and releases water on the ceiling, which can drip on cartons (container sweat), or the cargo itself cools and collects condensation on its surface. Our guide on container condensation and cargo sweat prevention explains the mechanism in detail.

For dry kibble the control starts at the factory. Product that is packed warm, or that has not stabilised after extrusion and drying, carries moisture into the bag that no desiccant will remove. Pack within the moisture and water-activity limits your quality system sets, use a bag with a barrier layer suited to the route, and keep finished pallets in a dry, ventilated area while they wait for the truck. At loading, do not stuff a container that has just been rained on or that still smells of the previous cargo. Desiccant bags or rails and a liner can help on longer and more humid routes, but they are a supplement to dry product and a dry box, not a substitute.

For cans and pouches, the risk is external: wet cartons soften, labels lift, rust forms on can ends and seams, and the importer's inspector reads rust as a sign of a compromised seal. Dry cartons, intact outer wrap and a container free of leaks are the controls. Heat matters most for kibble with a high fat content and for treats, where prolonged warmth can speed oxidation and off-smell. You cannot control the weather on the vessel, but you can control where the container sits at origin, how long it waits in a yard, and, on a long route, whether a position away from the hottest deck areas is worth asking for.

The document set and why consistency matters

A pet food shipment usually travels with a recognisable set of documents: the commercial invoice, the packing list, the transport document (bill of lading or air waybill), the export declaration and its release, the veterinary or health certificate where one is required, and, depending on the buyer and market, a certificate of origin if a trade agreement is being used, laboratory or analysis reports, and the importer's permit number. Our guides on the export documents checklist, the commercial invoice and the packing list set out what each document must contain.

What makes pet food different is how the certificate is used. At the border, an official compares the health certificate with the shipment: product description, quantity, lot or batch identification, exporter and consignee, container and seal number, and sometimes the establishment name and approval number. A mismatch is read as a possible substitution, so even a harmless difference in spelling or quantity can trigger an extra inspection, a request for a corrected certificate, or detention while the importer sorts it out.

Build a one-page reconciliation before you release the documents to the forwarder. List the product name, lot codes, number of cartons, net and gross weight, exporter name and address and consignee name and address exactly as each document shows them, and confirm that they agree. If a correction is needed after the certificate is issued, ask the issuing office what the process is rather than writing on the document, because an altered official certificate is generally not accepted. Keep scans of every document with the load photos and the seal number, since the same evidence is needed if a claim arises later. The guide to the pre-shipment checklist is a useful companion.

What goes wrong, and how to see it coming

Most pet food export problems are predictable and cluster in six places. The first is a listing or registration gap: the factory was never on the list the market requires, or a registration lapsed between the purchase order and the shipment. Check validity dates when you accept the order, not when you book the container. The second is an ingredient the market does not accept from that origin, discovered after the batch was made. The remedy is the ingredient review described above, done before production and repeated whenever a supplier changes.

The third is a certificate that does not match the cargo, through a lot number typed differently on the invoice, a quantity that changed after the final pack-out, or a product name that differs from the label. The fourth is an insufficiently documented process: the importer or inspector asks for evidence that the batch met the required treatment, and the file contains a recipe but no process record. The fifth is physical damage, either rust and soft cartons from condensation or dented cans from overstacking, which cause the consignee to refuse delivery or the insurer to dispute the claim. The sixth is timing: the certificate or permit expires, the vessel rolls, or the container gate-in cut-off is missed while a document is being corrected.

When a shipment is stopped, act in a fixed order. Ask the border authority, through the importer or its broker, exactly which document or fact is in question. Do not rewrite documents yourself. Ask DLD whether a replacement or corrected certificate can be issued and what it needs, and meanwhile ask the forwarder about storage at the port and what demurrage and detention would apply to the container. Our guides on what to do when cargo is held by customs and how to file a cargo damage claim cover the next steps. A refused shipment is not always returned; depending on the destination, the authority may require destruction or re-export, and the cost of either falls on the shipper in most contracts.

A worked structure: three product types, three paper trails

It helps to see how the same checklist produces different workloads. The following is an illustration of structure, not a statement of any country's rules.

Case one: retorted wet food in cans or pouches for a market that treats fully cooked, hermetically sealed products as lower risk. The paper trail is relatively short. The importer confirms whether any certificate is required, the factory confirms process records for the sterilisation step, and the shipment travels with the standard commercial documents and, if requested, a health certificate that states the product was heat treated in a sealed container. The physical risks dominate: carton strength, stacking weight and rust prevention.

Case two: dry kibble containing poultry meal, shipped to a market that restricts poultry ingredients by origin and heat treatment. The paper trail is longer. The factory needs supplier certificates showing where the poultry meal came from, process records showing that the kibble received the required thermal treatment, and a health certificate with the statements the importer specifies. If the importer requires a facility listing, that has to be in place before the certificate request. The physical risk is moisture and heat during a longer voyage.

Case three: animal-part treats such as dried skin or tendon. This is the longest path. The market may require a specific permit, ingredient origins limited to approved countries, a defined treatment, an approved establishment and an individual certificate for every consignment, and some markets limit or prohibit certain items altogether. Do not start production on such a product until the importer has shown you the written import conditions. Use the same three-step habit in every case: confirm the rule in writing, match the product and factory to it, then reconcile every document to the shipment.

Choosing a forwarder and sequencing the work

A forwarder cannot issue a health certificate or register your factory, but it can prevent several of the failures above. The useful questions are practical. Has it moved pet food or animal feed before? Does it understand that the booking has to be coordinated with the certificate timeline? Can it advise on container choice and pallet plans for cans versus kibble? Will it check the draft bill of lading against the certificate before the cut-off rather than after? Our general guidance on choosing a freight forwarder in Thailand lists the questions to ask.

Sequence the work around the decisions that cannot be reversed. Product and ingredient decisions are fixed when the batch is made. Certificate content is fixed when the certificate is issued. Container and seal are fixed when the door closes. Everything before these points is cheap to change, and everything after is expensive. That is why the importer's written rule comes first, the document reconciliation comes before release to the forwarder, and the loading photos and seal number are recorded at the moment of loading, not afterwards from memory. For first-time exporters, the first-time exporter checklist and the guide to export permits by agency give the wider context, and our export services team can walk through a specific product before you commit to a purchase order.