Sourcing cooked crayfish tails from China

Cooked crayfish tails: 20% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 September 2026, heading 1605 covers prepared or preserved crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates. The supplied crayfish-relevant lines carry 20% duty for goods from China, with no listed anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension. The table shows product variants sharing tariff codes; confirm whether the dill line applies to the proposed tails.

Both supplied lines attach veterinary and organic import controls. Check establishment approval for eligible prepared shellfish, and confirm health certification, advance notification and border control post requirements with your broker. Confirm the veterinary entry document with your broker. For organic goods from China, arrange a consignment certificate of inspection and check the recognised exporter certification arrangements. The other-crustaceans line also attaches illegal-fishing controls; ask your broker to confirm the requirement for the actual freshwater product.

Before ordering, ask APHA to confirm China-specific restrictions and residue paperwork for the species and production method. A duty rate alone does not establish import eligibility. Confirm the commodity code using species, cooking, peeling, ingredients and preservation method. See the wider prepared shellfish guide for other products within the heading.

Specify the tail meat, brine and usable weight

Specify the species, farmed or wild origin, peeled tail meat, shell-fragment tolerance and whether the product is frozen, brined or cooked with dill. Define whole tails versus broken pieces, size grading, colour and texture against an approved sample. State whether buyers will serve the tails directly or cook them further.

Agree net and drained weight, glaze measurement, brine composition, salt, additives and pack format. Ask for cooking records, cooling controls and evidence supporting shelf life. Agree storage and thawing instructions, batch identification and temperature records. Confirm the applicable Listeria criteria for ready-to-eat shellfish and crustacean allergen labelling requirements with the relevant food authority.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative wholesale order of frozen cooked crayfish tails in catering packs under 1605 40 00 70, invoiced at £30,000 free on board, with £4,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £34,000. Duty at 20% is £6,800. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £40,800, so it is £8,160. Import taxes total £14,960; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £6,800 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

Documents: match species, production method, establishment approval, health certificate and batch details to the shipment; confirm any additional China-specific paperwork before dispatch.

Usable weight: deglaze frozen samples or drain brined samples using the agreed method; compare recovered tail meat, size grading and broken pieces with the specification.

Condition: inspect seals, leaks, ice accumulation and temperature records; check shell fragments, texture and colour against the retained sample.

Food safety and labels: review batch microbiology results and the agreed residue testing; check ingredients, emphasised crustacean allergens, declared weight, storage instructions and batch identification. See quality inspection.

What goes wrong

Brine or glaze reduces usable yield, broken pieces replace whole tails, or shell fragments remain after peeling. A sample can also differ from production in salt, dill flavour or texture. Put the measurement method and acceptance criteria in the purchase specification and retain an approved sample.

Missing approval or incorrect certification can hold up an otherwise eligible shipment. Poor cooling or contamination after cooking creates food-safety risks that appearance cannot resolve. Investigate suspect batches before release, and agree who reviews documents and laboratory results before 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.