Sourcing herring meal from China

Herring meal duty and import eligibility

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, heading 2301 covers animal meals and pellets unfit for human consumption, and greaves. Herring meal falls within 2301 20 00 00, the fish and aquatic invertebrate meal line, at 0% duty for goods from China. The record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension. This is the only supplied commodity line relevant to herring meal.

The tariff attaches veterinary, CITES, organic import and waste import controls, plus CITES and waste export controls. Animal by-products must enter through an approved border control post. Obtain confirmation from APHA and your customs broker of China-specific admissibility, plant approval, health certification, pre-notification and veterinary entry documents before ordering. This guide does not establish permission for a particular Chinese shipment.

CITES permits depend on the species concerned; obtain the processor's species declaration. Waste shipment controls apply only if the material is waste. Ask your broker to confirm these controls and any organic inspection certificate requirement for the proposed goods. Export controls need checking if the meal is later exported. Confirm the commodity code using composition, processing and intended use; see the wider fishmeal and animal meal guide.

Specify herring identity and meal analysis

State the herring species, raw-material origin and whether production uses whole fish, processing trimmings or a mixture. Require disclosure of other fish species, added carriers, preservatives and antioxidants. Record the intended feed use and ask APHA to confirm the China safeguard position before accepting the supplier's export assurances.

Agree crude protein, residual oil, moisture, ash, salt, particle size and digestibility against your formulation. Specify the analytical methods, sampling arrangements, packaging and storage conditions. Ask for batch results for oxidation and relevant contaminants, with retained loading samples for comparison on arrival.

For feed use, ask the relevant feed authority to confirm any feed-business registration, feed-material naming and declaration requirements, and applicable undesirable substance limits. Agree the testing brief through testing and certification support.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 12 tonnes of bagged herring meal, subject to import eligibility under 2301 20 00 00, invoiced at £20,000 free on board, with £3,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £23,500. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £23,500, so it is £4,700. 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. 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: match the declared herring species, raw materials and processing site to the contract and batch records; investigate unexplained changes in colour or texture.

Analysis: independently sample the shipment and compare protein, oil, moisture, ash and salt with the agreed specification; review oxidation, microbiological and contaminant results.

Arrival condition: check for rancid odour, heating, damp patches, mould, caking, insects and torn bags; photograph affected material and retain separate samples.

Documents: match bag and pallet batch references to analysis reports and shipment documents; confirm plant approval, health certification and border arrangements with the broker before dispatch.

What goes wrong

A herring meal description can conceal mixed-species material or a change from whole fish to bony trimmings. Higher ash, lower protein or excess salt can make the shipment unsuitable for the agreed formulation. Residual oil can develop rancid odours, while moisture can cause caking and mould. Compare independent arrival results with retained loading samples.

A supplier's experience exporting elsewhere does not establish permission to ship to Great Britain. Products must come from an establishment approved to export there. Resolve China-specific eligibility before payment, then approve the batch specification and document checklist before loading.

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.