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Commercial fishing vessels are classed as food businesses and need to register with their Home Port.

Exiting the EU has given inspection of these types of premises a renewed importance. Products that are exported to most countries require Export Health Certificates proving fish has come from registered premises who apply good food safety controls and traceability. A food hygiene inspection of a vessel will cover how the catch is handled and stored hygienically on board.

Registration is free, you will need to register all commercial fishing vessels in your ownership.

If you sell or close your business you should inform us within 28 days.

Fishing vessel registration

If you own a commercial fishing vessel and export your products to the EU, most countries now require an Export Health certificate.  The certificate proves the fish have come from registered premises who apply good food safety controls and traceability.  A food hygiene inspection of a vessel will cover how the catch is handled and stored hygienically on board.

You must also tell us if your registration changes.

Freezer and Factory Vessels

Vessels that freeze fish on board and/or process fish and package these on board are considered to be 'approved premises'. A visit is required by the local authority before going to sea. The vessels are issued with a unique identification marking which must be placed on all packaging. Once you have registered we will contact you and let you know if approval is required.

If you don’t know where your home port is you can find this on the UK fishing vessel lists - GOV.UK.

To register with Environmental Health, please complete both the Fishing Vessel registration form and Fishing Vessel checklist and send to:

Environmental Health, East Devon District Council, Blackdown House, Border Road,

Heathpark Industrial Estate, Honiton, EX14 1EJ or email to environmentalhealth@eastdevon.gov.uk.

Registration is free and cannot be refused.

Any personal information which you provide will be held and used by East Devon District Council for the purpose of ensuring and maintaining your registration and on the basis of public task and legal obligation under food safety and hygiene legislation.

Who will receive or see my personal information? 

Your information may also be shared within East Devon District Council for the purposes of carrying out our lawful functions. Otherwise your personal information will not be disclosed to anybody outside East Devon District Council without your permission, unless there is a lawful reason to do so, for example disclosure is necessary for crime prevention or detection purposes. Your information will be held securely and will not be retained for any longer than is necessary. There are a number of rights available to you in relation to our use of your personal information, depending on the reason for processing. Further detail about our use of your personal information can be found in the relevant Privacy Notice.

We will call or email you using the information you provide and arrange a time when you are in port to carry out the visit. The vessel owner or skipper will need to be present. If owners wish to present their vessels as a group to be inspected on the same day, this can be arranged.

On satisfactory completion of the inspection, a report will be sent to the owner or other representative in charge. If any defects are found a follow-up visit may be required and this will be discussed with you.

How often a business is routinely inspected depends on the type of food it handles and its previous record.

Fishing vessel registration no longer needed

If you sell or close your business you should tell us.

If applicable the new owner of the business will need to register the business with their details.

We will remove the details of your business from the food register.

We do not normally acknowledge your notification, please let us know if you would like us to write to you.