The Commission has published new tariff quota regulations. They shall apply from the tariff quota periods starting on 1 January 2021. Tariff quotas for agricultural products mean a temporary exemption of duty or a reduced duty on a given quantity of imports or exports of an agricultural product. Such import tariff quotas for agricultural products include import tariff quotas for rice, garlic, mushrooms, olive oil, beef, pork, and poultry meat sectors, and dairy products. The export tariff quotas include the export quotas for cheeses to Canada and the United States, the export quota for milk powder to the Dominican Republic, and the export quota for cat and dog food to Switzerland.
Access to some import and export tariff quotas is subject to the presentation of a quota import or export licence. The AGRIM quota import licences and AGREX export licences are issued by the Finnish Food Authority.
The new regulations bring together provisions for almost 150 import and export tariff quotas for agricultural products. Quota import licences and quota export licences confer on the holder not only the right but also the obligation to import or export the agricultural products in question. The repealed provisions will continue to apply to quota import licences issued on the basis of those provisions before the date of entry into force of the new regulations.
The new regulations contain some changes to previous practices in order to maintain an efficient and stable tariff quota system and the proper functioning of the European Union market.
Some of the import tariff quotas are managed as FCFS quotas. They are managed by Customs and do not require an AGRIM quota import licence issued by the Finnish Food Authority. Further information on FCFS quotas can be found on the Customs website.
Further information on the Finnish Food Authority
For more information on import tariff quotas, please visit www.ruokavirasto.fi/AGRIM and on export tariff quotas, visit www.ruokavirasto.fi/AGREX.
Senior Officer Tuija Jämbäck, tel. +358 50 470 0472
tuovi(at)ruokavirasto.fi