Sourcing Bacillus fermentation cultures from China

Duty and import-control checks

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 5 October 2026, heading 3002 includes cultures of micro-organisms excluding yeasts. The ordinary culture line, 3002 49 00 20, carries 0% duty for goods from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing measure and no listed suspension. The table shows different culture forms sharing this line, rather than separate tariff subdivisions.

The UK Trade Tariff attaches Veterinary control and Animal Health Certificate controls to this line. Its veterinary note concerns products of animal origin. Ask your customs broker to confirm the requirements for the exact Chinese formulation, including its carrier and growth-medium residues. For food products of animal origin, an import licence or authorisation may be needed if no health certificate is available.

Confirm the commodity code using the strain, complete composition, physical form and intended use. Do not assume a finished blend belongs under the culture line. For related cultures within the wider heading, see lactic-acid bacterial starter cultures.

Specify the strain and fermentation performance

Name the Bacillus species and strain identifier, intended substrate and fermentation outcome. Agree whether you are buying spores or vegetative cells, a pure culture or a blend, and freeze-dried powder or liquid. Record the carrier ingredients, animal-derived inputs, storage conditions and shelf life. Specify viable-count testing, reporting units and acceptance criteria rather than accepting a species name alone.

For food use, investigate the novelty status of the exact product and intended use. Novel foods need authorisation before they can be placed on the Great Britain market. Deliberate work with biological agents needs a risk assessment. Agree strain-identity, contamination and fermentation-performance testing with a suitable laboratory through testing and certification.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative pilot-production consignment of freeze-dried Bacillus culture under 3002 49 00 20, invoiced at £4,000 free on board, with £1,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £5,500. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £5,500, so it is £1,100. With no duty, the only import tax is the VAT, which a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Identity: match the strain identifier, batch reference and culture form on the packs with the purchase specification and batch analysis report.

Viability: check the counting method and results against agreed criteria; test a retained arrival sample and compare fermentation performance with the approved sample.

Purity: review batch-specific contamination and toxin-related testing agreed for the strain and use; check that the report covers the delivered formulation.

Condition: inspect seals, moisture damage, powder caking and liquid leakage; review transport records against the supplier’s documented storage conditions.

What goes wrong

A supplier substitutes a different strain, reports total cells instead of viable cells, or changes the carrier without telling the buyer. The culture may then behave differently in the buyer’s substrate despite similar paperwork. Require written agreement before substitutions and compare each delivered batch with the approved sample.

Moisture ingress, unsuitable transport conditions and damaged seals can undermine the agreed culture quality. A generic analysis report can conceal that the delivered batch was never tested. Hold affected stock pending investigation, and settle the formulation-specific import-control questions before dispatch.

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.