Sourcing aquaculture feed pellets from China

Duty follows the pellet recipe

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 31 October 2026, heading 2309 covers preparations used in animal feeding. The selected low-milk feed lines carry £19, £46 or £85 per 1,000 kg according to starch content. The narrowly defined high-protein pea line carries 8%; it is not a general code for starch-free pellets. The supplied record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension on these selected lines.

The tariff attaches veterinary, organic and waste import controls to the selected lines, with seal-product controls on the starch-based lines. For permitted animal-origin consignments, arrange IPAFFS pre-notification and entry through an approved border control post. Organic importers must be UK-based and certified. Seal products traded into Great Britain need a seal catch certificate. Waste controls apply where the material is waste. Ask your broker to confirm organic inspection documents, seal eligibility and any waste notification requirements; the record also lists waste export controls.

Confirm the commodity code using the full formulation, starch and milk analysis, processing method and intended species. The pea-protein row is a specialist feed ingredient option, not a substitute for classifying ordinary compound pellets. For the wider heading, see pet food and animal feed.

Specify species, recipe and pellet behaviour

State the fish or shellfish species, growth stage and whether the pellets are complete feed or an ingredient for further manufacture. Agree pellet diameter, length, floating or sinking behaviour, water stability, fines, moisture, protein, fat, fibre and ash. Describe the water conditions and feeding equipment used for acceptance checks. Fix the formulation and require written agreement before ingredient substitutions.

Chinese animal-origin products for feed use are prohibited from entering Great Britain unless they fall within the listed safeguard exceptions. Ask the Animal and Plant Health Agency to confirm whether the finished pellets qualify; do not assume that an exception for an ingredient covers the compound feed. Where the processed-animal-protein import route is permitted, the appropriate model health certificate is required.

Confirm feed-business registration requirements and the authorisation status of the proposed additives in Great Britain with the relevant feed authority. Obtain the ingredient identities, additive list, batch analysis and proposed label before approving production. Agree contaminant testing for the actual recipe through testing and certification support.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 12 tonnes of qualifying pea-protein pellets for aquaculture feed manufacture; illustrative FOB value and freight, not a quotation under 2309 90 96 95, invoiced at £30,000 free on board, with £3,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £33,500. Duty at 8% is £2,680. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £36,180, so it is £7,236. Import taxes total £9,916; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £2,680 of duty. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step. This assumes the goods are standard-rated for VAT. Most food for human consumption is zero-rated, and animal feed can be too, in which case no import VAT is due, so check the rate for your product in HMRC's VAT Notice 701/14.

Inspection checklist

Recipe and analysis: independently sample the batch and compare protein, fat, moisture, fibre, ash and starch with the agreed formulation and declarations.

Pellet behaviour: compare diameter, length, fines, floating or sinking behaviour and breakdown in water with the approved sample under the agreed test conditions.

Arrival condition: check for damp bags, mould, insects, caking, unusual odours and crushed pellets; retain samples from affected bags separately.

Packs and records: check seals and net weight, match batch references to analysis and shipping documents, and confirm applicable import paperwork with the broker.

What goes wrong

Extra starch or substituted protein can change both the feeding specification and tariff classification. Pellets that look acceptable when dry may sink unexpectedly or break apart during feeding. Damp packaging can leave mouldy or caked feed on arrival. Agree representative sampling through the quality inspection guide, and compare shipment samples with the retained approval sample.

The costly mistake is ordering an animal-protein recipe before resolving the China safeguard restriction. A tariff rate, factory test report or ingredient description does not establish permission for the finished pellets. Settle the formulation, import eligibility and document checklist before approving shipment.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification. For repeat volumes, see container programmes.