Sourcing Palm Kernel Meal from China

Palm kernel meal: zero import duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 4 October 2026, heading 2306 covers oilcake and other solid residues from extracting vegetable or microbial fats or oils. Palm nut or kernel residues fall under 2306 60 00 00. The table shows different forms covered by this same line. Goods from China carry 0% duty, with no listed anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspensions.

The tariff attaches organic import, waste import and waste export controls. Organic importers must be based and certified in the UK. Confirm the inspection certificate and recognised certification arrangements for a Chinese organic consignment with your broker before shipment. Waste controls apply only where the material is waste; for notified waste entering England, the exporter applies in the dispatch country and shipment awaits the relevant authorities' consent. Confirm which controls apply with your broker.

Confirm the commodity code using the raw material, extraction process and any added ingredients. Describe pure palm kernel residues separately from blended feed preparations. For other meals within this heading, see the cottonseed meal guide.

Specify extraction method and feeding value

State whether you want expeller cake or solvent-extracted meal, and whether it is ground or pelleted. Agree crude protein, residual oil, fibre, moisture and ash in the contract. Ask the supplier to identify the extraction plant and the origin of the palm kernels, rather than relying on the trading company's address.

Agree acceptable shell fragments, foreign matter, particle size and packaging. Request analysis tied to the shipment lot and retain a loading sample. Specify storage and loading conditions that keep the meal dry and allow checks for heating.

For feed use, confirm feed-business registration requirements with your competent authority. Ask the relevant feed authority to confirm the required feed-material name, declarations and applicable undesirable substance limits, including those for aflatoxin and heavy metals. Agree the laboratory testing brief through testing and certification support.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 12 tonnes of palm kernel meal for animal feed, not a quotation under 2306 60 00 00, invoiced at £3,500 free on board, with £2,680 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £6,180. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £6,180, so it is £1,236. 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: compare extraction method and cake, ground or pellet form with the contract; inspect shell fragments and foreign matter.

Analysis: independently sample the shipment and compare protein, oil, fibre, moisture and ash with the agreed specification; arrange contaminant testing against applicable feed limits.

Arrival condition: check for hot spots, mould, insects, damp bags, caking and unusual odours; retain affected material separately for investigation.

Documents: match lot references across bags, bulk documents and analysis reports; check feed declarations and supporting organic paperwork where claimed.

What goes wrong

A supplier's selected sample may conceal lower protein, higher fibre or more shell material in the shipment. Expeller cake and solvent-extracted meal can also be substituted without updating the agreed oil specification. Use independent sampling and compare loading and arrival results through the quality inspection guide.

Damp meal can mould and heat during transport. Inspect the container and packaging before loading, agree moisture limits and investigate abnormal arrival condition before using the lot. An organic claim without settled certification paperwork can also disrupt clearance; approve the document checklist before dispatch.

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.