The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry manages 10 tariff rate quotas (TRQs) under the Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement (A-UK FTA), including beef meat.
Australian exporters can export beef meat at a 0% tariff rate under the following quota volumes.
| Agreement year | Quota year | Quantity (MT) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2023 | 20,616.438 |
| 2 | 2024 | 43,333 |
| 3 | 2025 | 51,667 |
| 4 | 2026 | 60,000 |
| 5 | 2027 | 68,333 |
| 6 | 2028 | 76,667 |
| 7 | 2029 | 85,000 |
| 8 | 2030 | 93,333 |
| 9 | 2031 | 101,667 |
| 10 | 2032 | 110,000 |
Access to the TRQs will be administered via a split allocation system and a first come, first served (FCFS) pool until the available quota amount has been exhausted.
Exporters can use the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade tariff portal to find the current tariff rate applying to their product and to compare the tariff reduction received under the A-UK FTA.
Key dates to remember
- 1 January - Quota year commences
- 1 November to 16 November – Applications for annual allocation due
- 31 December – Quota year finishes
Current Quota usage
The quota usage tables show the total quantity of quota used by Australia for A-UK FTA products. The tables are updated regularly.
Check out the current quota usage for beef meat
Non-allocation holders
From 2025 onwards, a FCFS pool of quota for non-allocation holders will be determined by the remaining volume following the allocation process, with any non-allocated quota being placed into the FCFS pool.
The FCFS pool will be accessible until the available quota amount has been exhausted.
Allocation holders
From 2025 onwards, the calculation for allocations will be based on an exporter’s previous in-quota year shipping history. An exporter’s next year allocation will be the amount of product shipped in the 12-month period of 1 November to 31 October prior to the start of the new quota year.
Applications for the allocation of quota for the following year close on 16 November each year. Eligible exporters will be emailed an application form in early November.
There will be no penalties for unused quota at the end of the quota year. However, allocations for the previous year are based on shipped product only.
Approved commodity codes
Under the FTA there are 22 different approved commodity codes which can be exported under quota. They range from beef carcasses, preserved meat, boneless, frozen and fresh etc. A detailed list of the code descriptions can be provided by the department, or they are listed on the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website.
Apply for a TRQ certificate for beef meat
Exporters will need to apply to export beef meat to UK at the reduced tariff rate. If you are an allocation holder, the volume will be deducted from your allocated volume of quota. If you do not hold an allocation, the volume will be deducted from the FCFS balance if available.
To apply for a TRQ certificate an exporter must:
- lodge a request for permit (RFP) through the department’s electronic documentation system, EXDOC
- tick the Quota indicator box, enter the quota year, and write UKFTA as the quota type.
Issuing a quota certificate
Under the A-UK FTA agreement the department is required to provide a paper-based certificate with an original government and signature for all A-UK FTA certificates.
Once an application is approved, an A-UK FTA TRQ certificate will be generated and posted to the exporter. The department can send certificates to exporters using Express Post through Australia Post if the exporter provides the department with self-addressed envelopes.
A-UK FTA quota certificates cannot be amended without the corresponding export documentation amended so if there is a change to the exporter, importer, product type or quantity of the shipment after the certificate has been issued the existing certificate may need to be cancelled and a replacement certificate issued. Contact Quota Administration if there is a change to any details on the certificate.
Note: Quota administration is cost recovered on a per certificate basis in accordance with the Export Charges (Imposition-General) Regulation 2021 and the Export Control (Fees and Payments) Rules 2021.
Exporters are invoiced monthly for any quota certificates issued. The current cost recovered amount is $37 per certificate issued.
Airfreighting consignments
Airfreight consignments may require urgent documentation and the Quota Administration team will endeavour to process these manually if requested.
If an airfreight certificate is required urgently, email the Quota Administration team with the RFP number of the consignment that requires a manual certificate. The email must be received by the Quota Unit no later than 1:00pm (Canberra time) for same-day processing.
Processing of same day certificates cannot be guaranteed as processing and dispatch is dependent on staff availability and couriers.
Legislation
The Export Control (Tariff Rate Quotas-General) Rules 2021 governs the rules around quotas for beef meat to UK.
Data collection
We report on export quotas using data submitted for certificate applications.
Contact us
Phone: 02 6272 4068
Email: quota.admin@aff.gov.au