Sourcing laying hen feed from China

Duty depends on the laying hen feed recipe

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 4 October 2026, heading 2309 covers preparations used in animal feeding. The selected low-milk feed lines carry £19, £46 or £85 per 1,000 kg according to starch content. The listed pea-protein preparation carries 8%. These are possible classification routes for layer feed and a blending ingredient, rather than a dedicated laying hen feed code.

The supplied lines list no anti-dumping or countervailing duty. Restricted suspensions cover specified soya protein concentrates under authorised use and a specified astaxanthin preparation. Their footnotes exclude mixtures containing those products, so they do not give ordinary blended layer feed a blanket exemption. Dairy products from China are prohibited; a tariff line mentioning milk does not establish permission to import it.

The tariff attaches veterinary, organic and waste import controls, plus seal-product controls on the starch-based rows and waste export controls. Seal products require an exemption. Waste controls apply only to waste. For goods from China, confirm veterinary eligibility, documents, organic inspection certificates and applicable waste procedures with your customs broker. Give the full recipe and analysis when checking the commodity code.

Specify the ration, calcium source and feed form

State whether you need complete laying hen feed, a complementary concentrate or an ingredient for local blending. Specify the intended laying stage and mash, crumb or pellet form. Agree crude protein, amino acids, calcium, available phosphorus, energy basis, moisture and fibre with your nutritionist. Describe the calcium source and particle size, and set acceptance criteria for fines and ingredient segregation.

Obtain the full ingredient and additive list, including carriers and any animal-origin ingredients. Feed importers need feed business registration; confirm the authorisation status of the proposed additives with the Food Standards Agency. Check the Chinese mill's GB representation arrangements with the Food Standards Agency. Confirm feed labelling requirements before approving the bags.

For organic claims, confirm importability and inspection certificate arrangements with your approved UK organic control body. Ask that body to confirm the applicable importer establishment and certification requirements. Agree batch sampling and contaminant testing through testing and certification support. For the wider product family, see poultry feed premixes.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 12 tonnes of starch-free high-protein pea preparation for blending into laying hen feed under 2309 90 96 95, invoiced at £30,000 free on board, with £3,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £33,500. Duty at 8% is £2,680. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £36,180, so it is £7,236. Import taxes total £9,916; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £2,680 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

Recipe and analysis: independently sample the shipment and compare protein, calcium, phosphorus, moisture, fibre and starch with the agreed ration and tariff classification.

Feed form: check pellet or crumb consistency, excess fines, calcium-particle distribution and segregation between bags; compare with the approved sample.

Condition: inspect for mould, heating, insects, caking and rancid odour; agree laboratory checks for aflatoxins against applicable feed limits and for other identified contaminants.

Bags and records: check seals, net weight, batch identity, shelf-life information and feeding instructions; match the delivered lot to its analysis reports and clearance documents.

What goes wrong

A concentrate can be supplied against a complete-feed brief, or the mill can substitute protein ingredients without updating the analysis. Uneven mineral blending and segregation can make the delivered ration differ between bags. Fix the recipe, blending instructions and change-approval process in writing, then arrange representative sampling using the quality inspection guide.

Moisture ingress can cause caking and mould, while handling can turn pellets into fines. A changed recipe can also alter tariff classification or introduce unresolved animal-origin import controls. Compare arrival samples with retained loading samples, investigate discrepancies before releasing the lot, and settle ingredient eligibility before 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.