Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many companies exported cheese to Canada in 2023; and what estimate she has made of how many will be able to export to Canada without being subject to full tariffs in 2024.

In the 12 months leading to and including October 2023, the UK exported 1.9 kilotonnes worth of cheese to Canada. This represented 1.1% of the UK’s global exports of cheese in this period.

The UK remains eligible for the tariff-free ‘non-EU Reserve’ of Canada’s WTO Cheese Tariff Rate Quota of 6.1 kilotonnes.

As of 1 January 2024, UK exporters need to ensure the Canadian importer they are partnering with has the correct import licence. Upon entry into force, UK exporters will also be able to access CPTPP quotas providing for 16.5 KT of cheese exports to Canada a year.