How do you read a plant approval number on a health certificate?

Updated 11 October 2026 · 4 min read

The short answer

A plant approval number identifies a plant that slaughtered, cut, processed or stored the meat, as approved or registered by the exporting country's veterinary service. Each country writes it its own way: in the EU the country code, the number and an EU abbreviation, as in DK 1234 EF inside an oval mark; in Brazil SIF followed by the plant's number; in the United States EST. followed by the number for meat plants and P- for poultry plants (all example numbers). A number only means something together with its country, and some destinations, such as the Philippines, also expect the plant on a list or permit of their own.

What the number is

A plant approval number identifies a plant that handled the meat: where it was slaughtered, cut, processed or stored. The exporting country's veterinary service gives the number when it approves or registers the plant. In the EU, plants that handle meat are approved under Regulation 853/2004. In Brazil they are registered with the Federal Inspection Service (SIF). In the United States, plants under federal inspection have a USDA establishment number.

Each country numbers its own plants, so a number only means something together with its country: plant 1234 in Denmark and plant 1234 in Sweden are two different plants. The plant number is not the certificate number either, and it is not a lot number. Some importing countries also keep their own list of plants they accept, so the same number may have to appear on a list or a permit at the other end.

The formats you will see

All the numbers below are made-up examples.

Where	Printed as	What the parts mean
European Union	DK 1234 EF, inside an oval	The country code, the plant's approval number, and an EU abbreviation such as CE, EC, EF, EG, EK or EY. The oval is used by plants inside the EU
Brazil	SIF 1234	SIF is the Federal Inspection Service of Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture. The digits identify the plant registered with it
United States, meat	EST. 1234	The USDA establishment number, shown in the mark of inspection
United States, poultry	P-1234	The establishment number of a poultry plant, with the prefix P

In the EU mark, the country may be a two-letter code or the name in full, and the abbreviation depends on the language: EF is Danish, EG is used in German, Dutch and Swedish, CE in French, Spanish and Italian, and EC in English (Regulation 853/2004, Annex II, Section I).

What the plant did

An approval covers what the plant is allowed to do, and a certificate can name more than one plant, for example where the meat was slaughtered and where it was cut. EU lists of approved plants show the activities with short codes: SH for slaughterhouse, CP for cutting plant, PP for processing plant and CS for cold store, as in the Danish list of approved establishments. Such lists are also where to look a number up: EU countries publish their approved plants with their numbers and activities, and the Danish list is one of them.

Where else the number appears

The plant number does not stay on the certificate. In the EU the identification mark on the packaging carries the approval number (Regulation 853/2004, Annex II), so the cartons show it too. In the United States the mark of inspection carries the EST. or P- number (9 CFR 312.2 and 381.96). Packing lists and invoices for meat often print it as well.

Some destinations add a list of their own. For the Philippines, the plants on the documents must also be on the SPS import clearance for that shipment: see why every plant number must be on the SPS import clearance. The plant must also be eligible for the Philippines: see the documents you need to export frozen pork to the Philippines.

A worked example

A made-up certificate for frozen pork from Denmark gives the plant as DK 1234 EF. DK is Denmark, 1234 is the approval number the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration gave the plant, and EF is the Danish abbreviation for the European Community. The cartons carry the same number inside the oval identification mark.

A made-up certificate for frozen chicken from Brazil gives SIF 1234 instead. The digits are the same, but it is another plant in another country, registered with Brazil's Federal Inspection Service. Read the country with the number, and the two never mix. For the clearance the Philippines asks for, see what the SPS import clearance is and how long it is valid.

Questions people ask

What do EF, EG or CE mean after a plant number?

They are the abbreviation for the European Community in a local language, part of the EU identification mark: EF in Danish, EG in German, Dutch and Swedish, CE in French, Spanish and Italian, EC in English. The number before it is the plant's approval number, and the letters before the number give the country.

What is a SIF number on a Brazilian certificate?

SIF stands for Serviço de Inspeção Federal, the Federal Inspection Service of Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture. The number after SIF identifies a plant registered with that service, and it is the number to look for on the packing list and the labels.

What does EST. mean on a US certificate or label?

EST. is short for establishment. The number after it is the USDA establishment number of the plant, shown in the USDA mark of inspection. Poultry plants use the prefix P- instead.

Is the plant number the same as the certificate number?

No. The certificate number identifies the health certificate itself, and a lot number identifies a batch of product. The plant approval number identifies the establishment that handled the meat, and it stays the same from one shipment to the next.