Sourcing poultry gelatin from China

Zero duty and animal-product controls

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 2 October 2026, heading 3503 covers gelatine, its derivatives, isinglass and other animal glues. Poultry gelatine falls within gelatine and derivatives, 3503 00 10 00, carrying 0% duty for goods from China. No anti-dumping duty, countervailing duty or suspension is listed. The product forms in the table share this commodity line.

The tariff attaches veterinary control. Food gelatine must come from approved countries and establishments; confirm any pre-notification requirements with APHA or your broker. Official risk tables classify non-bovine food gelatine from permitted countries as low risk. Low-risk consignments require a supplier commercial document and do not require a health certificate. Ask APHA and your broker to confirm the poultry-specific approval route for the proposed Chinese supply before ordering.

The tariff also attaches import and export waste controls. In England, waste shipment controls apply only where the material is waste; ask your broker to confirm their relevance to the shipment. Confirm the composition and intended use through finding your commodity code. For the wider heading, see bovine gelatine sourcing.

Specify poultry origin and gel performance

Name the bird species and raw material, such as chicken skin or bones. Ask whether the factory blends poultry material with bovine, porcine or fish gelatine. Agree the intended food application, Bloom strength, viscosity, particle size, colour, odour, moisture and ash, together with the test methods and acceptance limits.

Request a batch certificate of analysis and agree microbiological and heavy-metal testing. Trial the sample in your actual recipe and process, checking dissolution, setting and texture. Keep a retained sample for comparison with production deliveries. For technical or pharmaceutical use, ask APHA to confirm the applicable route separately.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 240 kg of poultry gelatine powder, subject to import eligibility checks under 3503 00 10 00, invoiced at £2,400 free on board, with £240 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £2,640. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £2,640, so it is £528. 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.

Inspection checklist

Species: compare the poultry declaration, raw-material records and batch identity; arrange species testing where an animal-origin claim matters.

Performance: compare Bloom strength and viscosity with the agreed specification and check dissolution and setting against the retained sample.

Batch quality: review microbiology, moisture, ash and heavy-metal results against the purchase specification; investigate unexplained changes between batches.

Packing and documents: check sealed liners, dry bags, lot references and matching supplier documents. Confirm establishment approval and the broker's import-document instructions before loading.

What goes wrong

A poultry description can conceal mixed-species material, while a passing sample may be followed by a weaker production batch. Low gel strength changes texture; variable viscosity affects processing. Moisture ingress causes caking, and damaged liners make contamination harder to investigate.

Zero duty does not establish import eligibility. Confirm the proposed country and establishment approvals before placing the order, then match the batch and commercial documents to the shipment. Use the confirmed risk category when arranging documents rather than assuming every animal product needs the same certificate.

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.