Ireland’s Health Status
Ireland has been declared free from a number of diseases which affect various species of commercial and ornamental fish under EU animal health law.
'Listed Species' are those which can be affected by, or can be carriers of the diseases listed in EU legislation. These can be found in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882, as amended, and Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/260, as amended (see Annex III).
Areas within the EU which are free from these diseases can be found in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/620, as amended (see Annexes XII to XVIII), and also in Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/260, as amended (see Annex I).
For consolidated versions of the above legislation, which incorporate any subsequent amendments, please search the EUR-Lex website. Once you have found a piece of legislation, simply click the “Current Consolidated Version” link.
A summary document detailing the listed diseases, susceptible/vector species, and Ireland's health status for each can be downloaded here.
Imports from EU Member States
Listed species for the above listed diseases may only come from areas with a health status which is greater or equal to Ireland's.
This means that, if Ireland has been declared free of a particular disease, we may only accept its susceptible or vector species from an area which has also been declared free of that disease.
'Non-listed' species i.e. those which are not considered to be susceptible or vectors, may be imported from any Member State.
Imports from Non-EU States / Third Countries (including Great Britain)
Certain listed species may be imported from the list of territories outlined in Annex XXI of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404, as amended.
All non-listed species may originate from any of the countries referenced in the above regulation, or any other country which is a member of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
See our section on Certification Requirements in order to ensure that your consignment travels with the correct health documentation for import to Ireland.
Importing Non-Listed Species
Click here for further information on importing non-listed aquatic species.
Importing Ornamental Crayfish - Prohibited Species
Please note that, since 18th September 2018, it is illegal to import, keep, breed, transport, sell, exchange or release to the environment the following species of freshwater Crayfish:
| Common Name | Scientific Name |
|---|---|
| Spiny-Cheek Crayfish | Orconectes limosus |
| Virile Crayfish | Orconectes virilis |
| Signal Crayfish | Pacifastacus leniusculus |
| Red Swamp Crayfish | Procambarus clarkii |
| Marbled Crayfish | Procambarus fallax f. virginalis |
The European Union (Invasive Alien Species) (Freshwater Crayfish) Regulations 2018 (SI 354/18) came into force on 18 September 2018. The new measures are designed to combat the threat of disease and ecological damage from several species of non-native crayfish.
Throughout Europe, the white-clawed crayfish has been decimated by a disease called Crayfish plague. This disease spread to Europe with the introduction of North American species of crayfish, which are resistant to crayfish plague but can act as carriers of the disease.
These regulations grant Irish authorities the powers to prevent the arrival and spread of the five non-native species of crayfish included on the EU list of invasive alien species.