Sourcing turkey feed from China

Turkey feed duty follows the composition

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 4 October 2026, heading 2309 covers preparations used in animal feeding. Turkey feed is classified by composition rather than the bird named on the bag. The table selects feed preparations and a protein ingredient relevant to turkey feed manufacture. It does not assign a code solely because a supplier describes a product as starter, grower or finisher feed.

The selected starch-based lines carry £19, £46 or £85 per 1,000 kg, while the listed pea protein line carries 8%. The supplied record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty for these lines. The soya protein concentrate suspension under 2309 90 31 99 requires authorised use; the astaxanthin preparation suspension under 2309 90 41 89 is also narrowly specified. Both give 0% only to qualifying products and exclude mixtures containing them.

The selected lines carry veterinary, organic and waste import controls; the starch-based lines also carry seal-product controls. The record also lists waste export controls. Ask your customs broker to confirm applicability and the required documents for the Chinese recipe, including any later re-export. Provide the full ingredient list and starch, sugar and milk-product analysis when confirming the commodity code. For the wider heading, see laying hen feed.

Specify the turkey feeding stage and recipe

State whether you need complete feed, complementary feed or an ingredient for mixing. Identify starter, grower, finisher or breeder use, and agree mash, crumble or pellet form. Have your poultry nutritionist approve protein, amino acids, energy, fibre, calcium and phosphorus targets. Specify pellet dimensions, durability, fines, moisture, packaging and storage conditions without borrowing a laying-hen recipe.

Ask the competent authority to confirm feed-business registration and feed-additive authorisation requirements in Great Britain. Request the ingredient and additive lists before approving the sample or label. Check proposed enzymes, vitamins and anticoccidial ingredients individually for the intended turkey use rather than accepting a general claim that the factory makes poultry feed.

Animal-origin products from China for feed use are prohibited unless they fall within the listed exceptions and meet the applicable conditions. Ask APHA to confirm eligibility for any animal-origin recipe before ordering. Eligible animal by-product consignments must enter through an approved border control post. For organic feed, confirm importer certification and the consignment inspection certificate with your broker; that certificate is issued by the exporter's control body.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 12 tonnes of pea protein powder for manufacturing turkey 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 lot and compare protein, fat, fibre, moisture, ash, starch and relevant amino acids with the approved turkey formulation.

Physical form: compare crumble or pellet size with the agreed feeding stage; inspect fines, broken pellets, uneven mixing and separation of mineral ingredients.

Condition and contaminants: check for mould, heating, insects, rancid odour and wet bags; agree laboratory checks for aflatoxins and Salmonella before loading.

Labels and batch records: match turkey use, feeding instructions, composition, additive declarations, batch references and shelf life to the approved artwork and analysis reports; check bag seals and net weight.

What goes wrong

A supplier may substitute a chicken or laying-hen formulation, change the protein source or send pellets with excessive fines. A satisfactory protein result alone does not establish that the amino acid balance or mineral content matches the turkey recipe. Fix the formulation in writing and compare shipment samples with retained approval samples.

Damp feed can cake or grow mould during transport. Undisclosed animal ingredients can leave import eligibility unresolved, while a suspension quoted for an ingredient may be incorrectly applied to blended feed. Keep affected bags separate and investigate batch differences before using the feed. Agree sampling and arrival checks through the quality inspection guide.

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.