Sourcing safflower seeds from China

Safflower seed duty and organic controls

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 1 October 2026, safflower seeds under 1207 60 00 00 carried 0% duty from China. The supplied tariff record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension. Heading 1207 covers other oil seeds and oleaginous fruits, whether or not broken; only the safflower line is relevant here.

The tariff attaches an organic-products import control. For organic food from China entering Great Britain, obtain a Great Britain certificate of inspection for each consignment and check recognition of the exporter’s control body and export country. An approved UK organic control body must certify the importing business.

Confirm the intended use, processing and description with your broker and our commodity code guide. For other products within this heading, see sesame and pumpkin seeds.

Specify safflower seed use and condition

Describe the product as safflower seed and state whether it is intended for food processing, bird feed or sowing. Agree whole or broken seed, variety, hull condition, cleaning grade, moisture, foreign material and packaging. For pressing, agree the oil-content test method and acceptance criteria with the supplier.

Confirm any applicable aflatoxin and pesticide residue limits for food-use seeds with the relevant food authority. Agree batch sampling and laboratory testing before shipment, and match reports to the actual lot. For seeds for sowing, confirm any applicable plant health and seed marketing requirements with the relevant authority before ordering.

Confirm with HMRC or your customs broker the VAT treatment of seeds sold for making food and seeds packaged and held out for sale as wild bird food or pet food. Confirm the intended sale and packaging using our duty and VAT guide.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 20 tonnes of cleaned safflower seeds under 1207 60 00 00, invoiced at £36,000 free on board, with £2,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £38,500. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £38,500, so it is £7,700. 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: compare seed appearance, variety and hull condition with the approved sample; check for other seeds mixed into the lot.

Purity: sample across bags and check stones, stalks, dust, damaged seed and broken seed against the agreed specification.

Condition: check moisture results, musty or rancid odours, visible mould, insects and evidence of wet bags.

Batch records: match bag markings, packing records and laboratory reports; inspect liners and closures for damage.

What goes wrong

A sample can look clean while the shipment contains dusty bags, foreign seeds or unevenly dried material. Moisture and damaged packaging can leave seeds mouldy or rancid. Agree sampling across the shipment and record arrival condition before mixing lots.

Food, bird-feed and sowing orders need different specifications and checks. A supplier’s organic description does not replace import documentation. Confirm the intended market and organic paperwork before dispatch, and keep disputed lots separate while investigating.

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.