Sourcing cooked chicken and meat products from China
Cooked chicken products from China pay £856 per tonne UK duty, or 8% within a tariff quota, with no anti-dumping duty. They can come only from a country and plant approved for the commodity, with a health certificate, an IPAFFS notification at least one working day ahead and entry through a border control post. Cambridge China Bridge sources cooked poultry from approved plants.
Cooked chicken from China pays £856 per tonne, or 8% within the tariff quota. Approved plants, health certificates, IPAFFS and a border control post apply.
Duty and the tariff quota
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, prepared poultry products of chicken, cooked, with 57% or more poultry meat, carried a third-country duty of £856 per 1,000 kg on goods from China, and a non-preferential tariff quota at 8% was open on the same code. A quota rate applies only while the quota has volume left and must be claimed on the declaration.
A specific duty per tonne means the effective percentage falls as the price per kilo rises, so work out the landed price per kilo both inside and outside the quota. Confirm the commodity code by poultry content and whether the product is cooked.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken products, 57% or more poultry, cooked, other | 1602 32 19 90 | £856 per 1,000 kg; 8% within the tariff quota | None |
Approved plants and the border
Products of animal origin can be imported into Great Britain only from countries approved to export the commodity, from approved establishments, and with the model health certificate published on GOV.UK. The consignment must be notified in IPAFFS at least one working day before arrival and imported through a border control post specific to the commodity, where it is checked and a charge is made.
For cooked chicken, that makes the plant's approval the first thing to check: ask for its approval number for Great Britain and confirm it before any sample order, because an unapproved plant cannot ship at all.
Food labelling and specification
Food sold in the UK carries the name of the food, the ingredients with allergens emphasised, the net quantity, the storage conditions, the date mark and the name and UK address of the food business. Agree the label with the factory and check it against the food contact and labelling requirements your customers set.
Specify the recipe, meat content, cooking temperature and time, freezing, and microbiological criteria, and ask for the plant's certificates and test results for each batch.
Cold chain and inspection
Cooked frozen chicken must stay frozen from the plant to the UK store, so agree the storage temperature, the container setting and the temperature record, and check them at the container loading.
Cambridge China Bridge sources cooked chicken and meat products from approved plants, with the health certificates, labels, tariff quota and cold chain arranged before shipment. See how our sourcing service works.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on cooked chicken from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, cooked chicken products with 57% or more poultry carried £856 per 1,000 kg, with a non-preferential tariff quota at 8% on the same code.
Can any Chinese factory export cooked chicken to the UK?
No. The country and the establishment must be approved for the commodity, and each consignment needs the model health certificate.
How is a meat import notified?
In IPAFFS at least one working day before arrival, and it must enter through a border control post designated for the commodity.
Why compare the landed price inside and outside the quota?
The quota rate of 8% applies only while the quota has volume left; outside it, the £856 per tonne specific duty applies.