Agricultural Products: Import Duties

(asked on 17th October 2017) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what understanding they have reached with the EU on sharing out the tariff-rate quotas that govern the import of farm products into the EU from countries outside the bloc; when they anticipate those changes will come into effect; and what effect the proposed sharing out will have on overall quotas registered with the World Trade Organisation.


This question was answered on 30th October 2017

In preparation for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, the UK Government and the European Commission have set out a number of proposals for future global trading arrangements in a joint letter to World Trade Organization (WTO) members.

The UK and EU Commission have proposed how they will separate the UK’s trading commitments to other WTO members from the EU. The UK’s current trading commitments to other WTO members, such as the tariffs it sets on goods they export to the UK, are applied through the EU’s schedules of commitments. As we leave the EU these will have to be set out separately for the UK.

The proposals in the letter cover how the UK’s commitments should be calculated. We are working to ensure the UK schedule replicates as far as possible existing trade flows. The UK aims to extract its share of trade commitments and entitlements from the EU schedule, including agricultural tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) and domestic support. The TRQs apply to a range of everyday items such as dairy products and meat.

The proposal is that the quotas for the EU 27 and UK are apportioned based on existing trade flows. Apportioning TRQs will ensure there is limited disruption to existing overall quotas. Using historic trade flows under the EU’s TRQs as a reference will maintain current levels of foreign market access. The total future quota amounts scheduled at the WTO by the EU 27 and the UK will therefore equal the current amounts in the EU schedule.

Upon EU exit, the UK will no longer be a member of the EU's Single Market or Customs Union. Therefore, regardless of any implementation period, the UK would still need to have established its own independent schedules at the WTO as it leaves the EU. These should be ready on day one of EU exit to protect UK trade interests and minimise the disruption to global trade.

The UK and the EU are committed to engaging with the WTO Membership in a spirit of cooperation, inclusiveness and openness on these matters over the course of the coming weeks and months.

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