Image Credit : WAM
Abu Dhabi, January 7, 2026: The UAE Government has issued a wide-ranging package of updated federal laws aimed at strengthening agricultural and veterinary quarantine systems, protecting new plant varieties, and regulating the international trade of endangered animals and plants.
The new legislation forms part of the UAE’s broader effort to modernise its regulatory framework, safeguard biodiversity, and align national laws with international conventions and best practices.
A key element of the reforms is an updated law regulating the international trade in endangered animals and plants, replacing Federal Law No. 11 of 2002, which had remained unchanged for more than two decades. The revised law enhances the UAE’s compliance with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), expands legal protections in line with updated CITES appendices, and strengthens enforcement mechanisms.
Under the law, importing, exporting, re-exporting, transiting, or introducing endangered specimens through UAE borders is strictly prohibited without proper authorisation. The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment has been designated as the national administrative authority, with expanded powers that include issuing certificates, combating illegal trade, suspending transit shipments, and disposing of seized specimens in accordance with judicial rulings.
Penalties have been significantly increased, with fines ranging from AED30,000 to AED2 million and prison sentences of up to four years in serious cases. Violators will also be required to cover all costs related to seizure, transport, storage, and disposal of specimens, with mandatory deportation for repeat foreign offenders.
The Government has also introduced a new Veterinary Quarantine Law, replacing legislation dating back to 1979. The updated framework aligns the UAE’s animal health controls with international standards and strengthens oversight of animal consignments entering, leaving, or transiting the country.
The law allows authorities to impose precautionary measures such as import bans and temporary restrictions based on scientific risk assessments or international disease alerts, including emerging and transboundary animal diseases. It establishes an integrated veterinary quarantine system covering inspection, quarantine, treatment, and disposal, with entry permitted only through approved border points.
In parallel, a new Agricultural Quarantine Law has been issued to modernise protections against plant pests and diseases that threaten food security and environmental safety. Replacing Federal Law No. 5 of 1979, the legislation aligns national rules with updates to the International Plant Protection Convention and supports the UAE’s role as a global hub for agricultural trade.
The law introduces updated phytosanitary terminology, applies to plants and regulated agricultural products moving through the UAE, and raises penalties to fines of up to AED500,000, with deportation for repeat foreign offenders.
The package also includes a revised Law on the Protection of New Plant Varieties, replacing Federal Law No. 17 of 2009. The new framework is designed to support agricultural innovation, protect breeders’ rights, and strengthen food and biosecurity, while aligning with international standards set by the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants.
The law establishes a dedicated register for protected plant varieties within the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and grants protection to varieties that meet criteria of novelty, distinctness, uniformity, and stability. Protection will last 20 years, extended to 25 years for trees and vines. Violations may result in prison terms of up to three years and fines of up to AED250,000.
Together, the new laws mark a significant step in updating the UAE’s legislative framework to support sustainability, biodiversity conservation, and innovation across agriculture and environmental protection.
