You may not begin the activity requiring a license until the license has been granted. The process is application-based. We will conduct an on-site inspection to verify that the requirements under food safety regulations have been met.
There are some complex exceptions to the licensing requirement (e.g., primary production, retail trade in certain cases). It is therefore advisable to inquire with the competent municipal or district administrative authority.
The licensing decision does not affect any other necessary permits, such as building permits, environmental protection permits, etc. This depends on the specific individual case. Please inquire with the relevant authority.
The following food businesses require EU approval, regardless of whether they operate only domestically or also within the EU:
Meat establishments/poultry meat establishments
- All establishments with their own slaughter facilities
- Establishments that supply more than one-third of their production volume to other establishments
Dairy operations
- Milk collection centers
- Standardization centers
- Milk processing and dairy processing facilities
Other establishments handling products of animal origin, e.g., direct marketing
Approval number
Upon approval, the facility also receives the approval number required for intra-Community trade.
Since January 1, 2006, approved food establishments have been required to affix a so-called identification mark to treated products of animal origin. An exception is the health mark on carcasses. The identification mark consists of two letters for the member state and country code (e.g., DE), the approval number for the respective establishment, and the abbreviation for the European Economic Community (EC). The identification mark is an important prerequisite for the traceability of products.
The following exceptions to the licensing requirement apply:
- Primary production, as well as the sale of small quantities of primary products to end customers or local retail businesses, does not require authorization.
- You do not need a license if, as a producer or hunter, you sell small quantities of meat, poultry, and lagomorphs or game and game meat to end customers and local retail businesses.
- Businesses that handle, process, and store food of animal origin at the point of sale or delivery to end customers (retail) and do not supply more than one-third of their products of animal origin to other local retail businesses do not require a license. Retail businesses also include eateries and restaurants.
In this context, branches are to be regarded as independent retail businesses. It is advisable to check with the competent authority. Butchers’ shops and restaurants that slaughter their own animals require a slaughter license in all cases. The regulations allow for flexible implementation, so that obtaining a license does not pose an insurmountable hurdle for the businesses concerned.
