Sourcing fresh cowpeas from China

Fresh cowpeas: 10% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, heading 0708 covers fresh or chilled leguminous vegetables, shelled or unshelled. The yard-long bean line, 0708 20 00 10, names the cowpea varieties and carries 10% duty from China. The supplied bean lines have no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspensions.

The tariff attaches organic-product import control and a unit-price measure to the bean lines. Organic imports from China into Great Britain require a certificate of inspection for each consignment. Ask your broker to confirm the declaration documents. HMRC says the simplified procedure value cannot be used where there is a transaction value.

Confirm the commodity code using the botanical identity, photographs and whether the goods are pods or shelled beans. The neighbouring table rows are classification comparisons, not alternative cowpea descriptions. See fresh peas and beans for the wider heading.

Specify the cowpea variety and harvest condition

Specify whether you want tender yard-long pods or fresh shelled cowpeas. Agree the variety, pod length and thickness, colour, tenderness, trimming, pack weight and acceptable defects against an approved sample. For pods, check how much seed development is acceptable before the flesh becomes fibrous.

Agree pre-cooling, transport temperature, packaging ventilation and remaining usable shelf life at delivery with the packhouse and carrier. Confirm the plant-health category with your broker before dispatch. Official guidance says medium-risk B goods require a phytosanitary certificate but do not need plant-health pre-notification.

Confirm applicable Great Britain pesticide residue limits with the relevant authority. Ask for an accredited laboratory report tied to the shipped lot and covering the relevant cowpea product. Confirm the importer's food business registration requirements with the relevant authority. For loose produce sold at retail in England and Wales, display the country of origin.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 5 tonnes of fresh yard-long cowpea pods; illustrative order only under 0708 20 00 10, invoiced at £18,000 free on board, with £4,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £22,500. Duty at 10% is £2,250. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £24,750, so it is £4,950. Import taxes total £7,200; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £2,250 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

Identity and maturity: compare the variety and product form with the order; inspect pod tenderness, seed swelling, colour and trimming.

Condition: inspect samples across the load for wilting, broken pods, bruises, insect damage, decay, foreign matter and excess surface moisture.

Cold chain: compare arrival temperatures and transport records with the agreed conditions; check condensation, crushed cartons and remaining usable shelf life.

Weight and records: check net pack weights and match lot identifiers to residue reports and accompanying certificates. Use the quality inspection guide to define the inspection brief.

What goes wrong

A supplier may describe both tender pods and developed fresh beans as cowpeas. Without a sample and written maturity specification, the buyer can receive tough pods, swollen seeds or a product form their customers cannot use. Packing wet produce or compressing bundles can also leave damaged, decaying pods inside apparently acceptable cartons.

A good-looking sample does not establish residue compliance or the condition of the shipped lot. Keep laboratory reports linked to lot identifiers, inspect the actual load and review temperature records before acceptance. Confirm border paperwork before loading so that avoidable document queries do not consume the product’s selling life.

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.