1. Purpose
This policy sets out Murzo Group's approach to the UK, EU and international transport, import, export, transit, courier movement, air freight, road freight, sea freight, storage, release prevention, and biosecure handling of live insects and insect-related biological materials.
It is intended to prevent unlawful movement, escape, release, misclassification, border refusal, welfare failure, disease spread, infestation, environmental harm, customer misuse, third-party misuse, and unauthorised shipment of insects or insect-related material.
2. Scope and Meaning of Insects
For the purposes of this policy, insects means all insects and insect life stages, not just locusts. This includes flying and non-flying insects, native and non-native insects, invasive and non-invasive insects, pest and non-pest insects, farmed insects, research insects, feeder insects, display insects, breeding insects, biological-control insects, wild-collected insects, captive-bred insects, and any eggs, larvae, nymphs, pupae, adults, colonies, cultures, frass, dead insects, parts, derivatives, samples, packaging, substrate, feed, or material that may contain viable insects or reproductive material.
Where a consignment also includes spiders, mites, worms, molluscs, crustaceans, or other invertebrates, those items are not to be treated as ordinary goods. They must be assessed separately and may be treated as high-risk biological or live-animal consignments for the purposes of approval, transport, containment, customs, welfare, invasive species, CITES, plant health, animal health, or environmental controls.
3. No Movement Without Written Approval
No person may import, export, transport, post, courier, carry, hand-deliver, store, loan, display, sell, transfer, release, abandon, sample, trial, return, dispose of, or arrange third-party movement of live insects or insect-related biological material for Murzo Group unless the activity has been directly approved in writing by Murzo Group.
- Approval for one species, life stage, batch, route, country, customer, carrier, end use, or shipment does not create approval for any other movement
- Informal discussion, customer request, supplier assurance, courier acceptance, marketplace listing, research interest, or previous movement does not amount to approval
- Any person acting without written approval is responsible for their own conduct, classification, permits, welfare, containment, claims, losses, border issues, and legal exposure
4. UK and EU Coverage
This policy applies to movements within the United Kingdom, movements between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, movements between Great Britain and the European Union, movements into or out of the European Union, and movements involving any non-UK or non-EU country where Murzo Group activity, products, samples, farms, customers, suppliers, carriers, or business partners are involved.
UK and EU rules may differ. A consignment that can move lawfully within one country may still require approval, notification, permits, health certification, commercial documents, TRACES or IPAFFS pre-notification, border control post routing, customs paperwork, welfare consideration, invasive species checks, CITES checks, plant health checks, or destination-country authority clearance before it can move internationally.
5. Species, Life Stage and End-Use Classification
Before any insect consignment is approved, Murzo Group must understand the species, common name, scientific name where known, life stage, quantity, origin, destination, transit country, containment status, breeding status, end use, customer, carrier, intended premises, and whether the material is live, dead, viable, frozen, preserved, processed, food, feed, animal by-product, research material, display material, biological-control material, pest-control material, waste, return, or sample.
Where classification is unclear, the consignment must not move until suitable advice or competent authority input has been considered. Misdescription as "samples", "feed", "decor", "educational material", "culture", "biomass", "substrate", "pet food", "waste", or "non-hazardous goods" must not be used to avoid controls.
6. Import, Export, Transit and Border Controls
International insect movements may require customs declarations, import licences, export health certificates, commercial documents, import notifications, border control post checks, transit approval, official inspection, animal health checks, plant health checks, food or feed controls, animal by-product checks, CITES permits, invasive species permits, carrier acceptance, or destination-country clearance.
- UK imports may require IPAFFS notification, APHA import authorisation, import information note checks, commercial documents, health certificates, or border routing depending on the species and end use
- UK exports may require an export health certificate, APHA contact, destination-country import conditions, official vet or local authority certification, and customs export controls
- EU imports, exports, or intra-EU movements may require TRACES or TRACES NT processes, border control post clearance, animal health requirements, official controls, CITES documentation, invasive alien species checks, and Member State requirements
7. Live Insect Welfare and Biosecurity
Live insect movements must be planned to reduce avoidable suffering, mortality, escape, contamination, overheating, freezing, dehydration, suffocation, crushing, stress, infestation, disease spread, and harm to people, animals, crops, property, ecosystems, or premises.
Controls may include suitable containers, ventilation, humidity, temperature control, food or hydration where appropriate, absorbent or secure internal material, escape-proof closures, double containment, tamper-evident sealing, segregation from food and feed where required, carrier notification, and emergency instructions.
8. Escape and Release Prevention
Live insects must not be intentionally released, accidentally released, abandoned, tipped out, disposed of into ordinary waste, used outdoors, moved into unsuitable premises, allowed to breed, or allowed to escape unless the activity is lawful and has been directly approved in writing by Murzo Group.
This applies whether the insects are flying or non-flying, invasive or non-invasive, native or non-native, pest or non-pest, harmless-looking or known to cause damage. An insect does not need to be legally classified as invasive to create environmental, crop, property, health, nuisance, contamination, allergy, bite, sting, disease, infestation, reputational, commercial, or regulatory risk.
9. Packaging, Labelling and Transport Conditions
Packaging and labelling must be suitable for the species, life stage, journey length, mode of transport, carrier rules, country requirements, temperature range, ventilation needs, escape risk, moisture needs, waste risk, handling risk, customs inspection risk, and emergency scenario.
- Ordinary envelopes, weak boxes, unsealed tubs, unlabelled containers, inappropriate postal methods, and consumer packaging must not be used for live insect movements unless specifically approved as suitable
- Outer packaging should not mislead carriers, border authorities, customers, or handlers about the live, biological, food, feed, animal by-product, CITES, pest, or regulated nature of the consignment
- Where air freight is used, IATA Live Animals Regulations, carrier variations, advance booking, acceptance checks, container requirements, and live-animal handling arrangements should be considered
10. Air, Road, Sea, Courier and Hand-Carry Movement
Different transport modes create different risks. Air cargo may require IATA-aligned handling and advance carrier acceptance. Road and courier transport may create temperature, delay, crushing, escape, routing, and handover risks. Sea freight may create duration, humidity, welfare, condensation, pest, container, and border timing risks. Hand-carrying insects across borders may still be unlawful or require declarations and permits.
No carrier, courier, freight forwarder, customs broker, passenger, driver, postal service, marketplace seller, customer, supplier, researcher, or visitor may be used to move insects for Murzo Group unless their role and responsibility have been approved.
11. Food, Feed, Animal By-Product and Dead Insect Materials
Dead insects, frozen insects, dried insects, insect meal, frass, substrates, insect feed, insect-derived ingredients, samples, trial batches, research material, by-products, waste, and packaging contaminated with biological matter may still be regulated and must not be treated as low-risk merely because the insects are no longer alive.
Food, feed, animal by-product, waste, customs, SPS, traceability, recall, allergen, product safety, and destination-country requirements must be considered where insect materials may enter the food chain, feed chain, research chain, farming system, customer site, or disposal route.
12. Invasive, Non-Native, CITES and Plant Pest Controls
Before any movement, Murzo Group must consider whether the insects or related material are non-native, invasive, protected, endangered, restricted, CITES-listed, wild-collected, genetically selected, capable of establishing, capable of breeding, capable of carrying pests or disease, or associated with plant health, crop, soil, ecological, or animal health risk.
Listed invasive alien species, CITES-listed species, regulated pests, non-native species, biological-control organisms, and species subject to country-specific restrictions must not be acquired, moved, sold, displayed, released, bred, imported, exported, or transferred unless legally permitted and approved.
13. Third Parties, Customers, Suppliers and Research Partners
Third parties must not move, release, dispose of, re-route, split, relabel, resell, breed, trial, feed, display, photograph, hand-carry, post, courier, import, export, or transfer Murzo Group insects or claimed Murzo Group insects unless this has been directly approved in writing.
This includes customers, suppliers, farms, laboratories, universities, schools, brokers, freight forwarders, couriers, carriers, customs brokers, online sellers, marketplace sellers, pet shops, zoos, exhibitors, influencers, affiliates, contractors, and private individuals.
14. Refused, Delayed, Dead, Escaped or Compromised Consignments
If a consignment is refused, delayed, damaged, overheated, frozen, opened, seized, destroyed, returned, lost, misrouted, dead on arrival, contaminated, infested, escaped, released, or otherwise compromised, the issue must be escalated promptly. The response may include containment, isolation, carrier notification, customer contact, authority contact, veterinary or technical advice, disposal, return refusal, recall controls, insurance notification, legal advice, or takedown of misleading listings.
Compromised consignments must not be re-used, released, sold, fed, displayed, bred, or moved onward unless lawful and approved.
15. Release, Damage, Injury, Death and Loss Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Murzo Group does not accept responsibility for damage, loss, injury, illness, allergic reaction, bite, sting, contamination, infestation, crop damage, ecosystem impact, business interruption, property damage, environmental harm, animal harm, human harm, public health concern, regulatory action, seizure, destruction, border refusal, death, or other consequence arising from the release, escape, abandonment, breeding, mishandling, misclassification, unauthorised transport, unauthorised import, unauthorised export, unauthorised storage, unauthorised display, unauthorised sale, or unauthorised use of any insects or insect-related material where the activity has not been directly approved in writing by Murzo Group.
This applies to all insects, not only locusts, and applies whether the insect is flying or non-flying, invasive or non-invasive, native or non-native, pest or non-pest, farmed or wild-collected, live or viable by life stage, and whether the release or escape is deliberate, accidental, negligent, customer-led, supplier-led, carrier-led, broker-led, reseller-led, research-led, or caused by a third party.
Nothing in this policy excludes or limits liability that Murzo Group cannot lawfully exclude or limit, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, product liability that applies by law, fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation, statutory rights, environmental duties, animal welfare duties, or responsibility that cannot legally be excluded.
16. Incident Escalation and Authority Contact
Suspected escape, release, loss, death in transit, border refusal, invasive species concern, CITES concern, plant pest concern, animal health concern, food or feed concern, public complaint, carrier incident, or authority contact must be escalated to an authorised Murzo Group representative before public statements, onward movement, replacement shipment, refund admission, liability admission, disposal, or customer instruction is issued.
Where required, Murzo Group may contact APHA, competent authorities, border control posts, port health authorities, customs authorities, Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, EU Member State authorities, carriers, insurers, or legal advisers.
17. Evidence
Where insect movement, release, escape, refusal, death, seizure, biosecurity concern, customer complaint, third-party misuse, or authority contact arises, Murzo Group may use proportionate evidence to assess the issue, protect people, protect animals, protect the environment, support containment, support takedown, refuse support, contact authorities, contact carriers, contact suppliers, or take legal steps where appropriate.
18. Review
This policy should be reviewed periodically and when Murzo Group changes insect species, life stages, transport routes, carriers, countries, suppliers, customer use, food or feed activity, live animal activity, research activity, border requirements, UK rules, EU rules, or international logistics arrangements.
