Sourcing fresh broad beans from China

Fresh broad beans: 10% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, heading 0708 covers fresh or chilled leguminous vegetables, shelled or unshelled. Broad beans fall under 0708 90 00 10 and pay 10% duty from China. The supplied tariff record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension for this line.

The tariff attaches an organic import control. For organic broad beans from China entering Great Britain, obtain a Great Britain certificate of inspection for each consignment. Ask your customs broker to confirm the clearance requirements before dispatch. Separately, confirm the applicable plant health risk category with the relevant authority before booking transport.

Confirm the species and whether the goods are fresh or chilled using our commodity code guide. The table includes related beans for comparison, not alternative broad bean codes. For other products within this heading, see fresh peas and beans.

Specify pods, maturity and shelling yield

Specify broad beans rather than green beans or dried field beans. State whether you want whole pods or shelled beans, the variety, maturity, bean size, acceptable blemishes and intended kitchen use. For pods, agree shelling yield against a representative sample: the delivered pod weight does not tell you how much usable bean you receive.

Agree pre-cooling, chilled transport, ventilated packaging and arrival acceptance criteria with the grower and packhouse. Ask for harvest and packing records and a residue report matched to the shipment. Food that fails to comply with pesticide maximum residue levels must not be placed on the market.

Fresh produce must meet marketing quality and labelling requirements. Have the proposed labels reviewed for your sales format and destination before printing.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 20 tonnes of chilled broad beans in pods; illustrative wholesale order under 0708 90 00 10, invoiced at £18,000 free on board, with £3,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £21,500. Duty at 10% is £2,150. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £23,650, so it is £4,730. Import taxes total £6,880; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £2,150 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

Pods: check firmness, shrivelling, split seams, bruises, mould and insect damage across the shipment.

Beans: shell representative pods and compare usable yield, size, tenderness and skin colour with the approved sample; inspect shelled beans for drying and crushed pieces.

Handling: review temperature records, check arrival condition and examine packaging for condensation, blocked ventilation and crushing.

Documents: match carton lot marks to harvest, packing and residue records; check organic paperwork where applicable. Arrange inspection around the agreed acceptance criteria.

What goes wrong

A pod sample can look acceptable while hiding coarse, overmature beans or poor shelling yield. Approving photographs alone misses these differences. Open pods and assess the beans before accepting the specification.

Delayed cooling and damaged packaging can leave pods limp and beans discoloured. Mixing harvest lots makes complaints harder to trace. Keep arrival photographs, handling records and retained samples linked to the 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.