Sourcing dried locusts from China

Zero duty, with import eligibility to resolve

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 6 October 2026, heading 0511 covers animal products not elsewhere specified or included and dead animals unfit for human consumption. The relevant other-products line, 0511 99 85 90, carries 0% duty from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing measure and no suspension recorded. The table shows buying forms under the same provisional code.

The tariff attaches veterinary, CITES, organic-product and waste import controls, and CITES and waste export controls. Official animal by-product guidance requires entry through an approved border control post. Ask your customs broker to confirm veterinary clearance documents and whether the other attached controls apply to the species, claims and condition of your locusts.

China-specific safeguards prohibit animal-origin feed imports unless they fall within the permitted exceptions. Obtain confirmation from the Animal and Plant Health Agency before ordering. Confirm the commodity code against the product and processing. For the wider heading, see the dried mealworm guide.

Specify the locust species and feeding use

Specify the scientific species name, farmed or collected origin, whole-body size grading, drying method, moisture, broken bodies, loose legs and wings, dust and foreign matter. Agree acceptance criteria against a retained sample. Request batch-linked treatment records and laboratory results rather than a general supplier certificate.

State exactly which animals will receive the feed. For the authorisation route described in official pet-reptile feed guidance, applications from outside the European Union are considered individually and approval is not guaranteed. Resolve eligibility for China and the proposed use before approving packaging. Feed labels must identify the responsible UK-based, appropriately approved or registered business.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative trial consignment: cartons of whole dried locusts, subject to import eligibility under 0511 99 85 90, invoiced at £1,500 free on board, with £900 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £2,400. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £2,400, so it is £480. 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: compare species, body size, colour and batch marks with the specification and retained sample; investigate mixed insects.

Treatment: review drying records and pathogen results; check protection against recontamination and secure packing in new containers.

Condition: sample across cartons for damp, mould, unusual odour, pests, dust and excessive breakage; inspect seals and liners on arrival.

Labels: for goods within the wild-bird import guidance, check the non-human-consumption warning and absence of feeding claims outside that route. Compare species, intended use and batch references across packs and shipment records.

What goes wrong

An intact display sample can conceal crushed bodies and loose fragments in the shipment. Damp packs, damaged seals, mixed species and unsupported treatment records need investigation before stock is released. Compare arrival samples with the agreed specification and keep questionable batches separate.

A description such as animal feed leaves the receiving animals unresolved. Wild-bird guidance does not support packaging claims for farmed land animals. A pet-reptile product needs its own eligibility assessment. Zero duty and a supplier's previous exports do not settle whether your consignment can enter Great Britain.

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.