Sourcing fresh turbot from China

14% duty on fresh and chilled turbot

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, fresh or chilled turbot under 0302 24 00 00 carried 14% duty from China. No anti-dumping or countervailing duty or suspension is recorded for this line. Heading 0302 covers fresh or chilled fish, excluding fillets and other fish meat. The table shows buying forms within the same turbot line, rather than separate tariff classifications.

The tariff attaches veterinary, illegal fishing and organic import controls. For Great Britain, confirm country and establishment approval with the relevant authority, and ask about pre-notification through IPAFFS and entry through a suitable border control post. Medium and high risk imports need a health certificate. Confirm with the relevant authority whether a validated catch certificate is needed for wild-caught fish and whether farmed fish is outside that scheme. For organic consignments from China, confirm whether a certificate of inspection is needed. Confirm the veterinary Common Health Entry Document requirement with your broker.

Give your broker the scientific species, fresh or chilled condition and head-on, headless or gutted presentation. Check fillets separately through our commodity code guide. Our fresh and chilled fish guide covers the wider heading. Agree the border route for the exact shipment before placing an order.

Specify turbot size, dressing and cold-chain handling

Specify turbot by scientific identity, farmed or wild origin, individual fish weight grade, head-on or headless form and whether it is gutted. Agree whether the quoted product weight excludes ice and packaging. Record harvest, packing and dispatch information, the remaining shelf life expected on arrival and the method for measuring receiving temperature.

Ask for the exporting establishment's approval details and draft shipment documents before paying. For farmed turbot from China, ask the port health authority to confirm any additional official residue-testing declaration needed for the proposed consignment. Agree insulated packaging, ice replenishment, drainage and refrigerated collection after clearance. Use factory verification to organise supplier checks.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 2 tonnes of chilled whole turbot for a seafood wholesaler under 0302 24 00 00, invoiced at £16,000 free on board, with £1,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £17,500. Duty at 14% is £2,450. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £19,950, so it is £3,990. Import taxes total £6,440; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £2,450 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 grade: match the species, farmed or wild description, dressing and individual fish weights against the purchase specification and carton markings.

Freshness and handling: inspect eyes, gills where present, flesh firmness, odour, bruising and belly condition. Read the temperature record and compare arrival measurements with the agreed receiving specification.

Weight and packaging: weigh fish separately from loose ice and packaging. Check leaks, damaged boxes, drainage and crushed fish; record discrepancies before accepting the delivery.

Documents and labels: match batch references to the invoice, packing list and applicable certificates. Ask the relevant authority to confirm the retail-pack labelling requirements, including English wording, species, production method and area, allergens, storage and a UK address. Keep records linking harvest or catch to sale, because fishery products must remain traceable.

What goes wrong

A supplier may quote an ungutted weight while the buyer expects dressed fish, or mix weight grades that do not suit restaurant portions. Agree the weighing method and acceptable presentation before dispatch. Poor drainage, damaged insulation and gaps in refrigerated handling can leave fish soft, bruised or surrounded by dirty meltwater.

An available tariff code does not establish permission to import the shipment. Resolve approval, certificate and batch-description discrepancies before loading. Ask the port health authority to confirm the exact Chinese farmed-fish documentation rather than relying on a supplier's general export certificate. Plan quality inspection around dispatch and arrival.

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.