Sourcing linseed meal from China

Linseed meal duty and attached controls

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 4 October 2026, linseed oilcake and other solid residues from oil extraction carry 0% duty for goods from China under 2306 20 00 00. Heading 2306 covers these residues whether ground or pelletised. All listed linseed forms share this code. The supplied tariff record shows no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension.

The tariff attaches organic import and waste import and export controls. Organic traders must be certified by an approved UK organic control body; the exporter’s control body issues the certificate of inspection. Confirm the certificate requirements for Chinese organic feed with your control body and customs broker. If importing material classified as waste under notification controls into England, the exporter must apply for consent in the country of dispatch. Ask your broker to confirm the applicable waste procedure.

Confirm the commodity code using the seed identity, extraction process and full composition. Describe the goods as linseed oil-extraction residues, rather than simply ground linseed. For wider heading coverage, see our sesame oilcake and meal guide.

Specify extraction method and residual oil

Specify linseed as the sole seed source, whether the product is expeller cake or solvent-extracted meal, and whether it is ground or pelletised. Agree crude protein, residual oil, fibre, moisture and ash specifications. Describe particle size, acceptable fines and packaging, and require written agreement before the supplier changes the process or blends in another meal.

For feed use, confirm importer registration requirements with the relevant authority. Also confirm the required feed-material name, labelling declarations and applicable undesirable-substance limits. Ask a feed laboratory to define a linseed-specific testing panel, including hydrocyanic acid, mycotoxins and heavy metals. Match the batch analysis to the material shipped, rather than accepting a general factory certificate.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 12 tonnes of linseed meal for a feed merchant under 2306 20 00 00, invoiced at £3,500 free on board, with £500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £4,000. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £4,000, so it is £800. 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 seed source, extraction method and batch references across the specification, bags, invoice and laboratory report.

Analysis: independently sample the shipment and compare protein, residual oil, moisture, fibre and ash with the agreed specification. Include the agreed contaminant tests.

Condition: on arrival, check for damp bags, caking, unusual heat, mould, insects and rancid odour. Record affected locations before unloading mixes the material.

Packaging and documents: check bag integrity, net quantity and feed declarations. For organic orders, check certification and inspection paperwork with your control body before shipment.

What goes wrong

A supplier’s sample can differ from the cargo in residual oil, protein or particle size. Damp meal can cake, grow mould and heat during transport. Mixing extraction methods or adding another seed meal changes the material the buyer expected.

Agree acceptance criteria and a sampling plan before ordering. Retain representative loading and arrival samples, and separate suspect bags while investigating. Use our quality inspection guide to organise checks and reporting.

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.