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What is the USDA Dairy Import Licensing Program? How is the tariff-rate quota (TRQ) system administered to import dairy products?
Service (FAS) is generally required to bring in items at the low-tier tariff rate. No license is required to import products at the high-tier rate; to import dairy products for an agency of the U.S. Government; or to bring in products for personal use, as long as net weight does not exceed 5 kilograms (11 pounds) in any one shipment. FAS issues licenses in late December each year for the following calendar year (January 1-December 31). What products are covered? The licensing system covers nearly all dairy products from cow’s milk, except for soft-ripened cheeses such as Brie. It also covers blue cheese made from sheep’s or goat’s milk. Is a license needed to import a small amount of dairy products for a trade show, research, or other special use? If you do not have a license and want to pay the low-tier duty, you must ask FAS to send an "ex-quota permit" to the U.S. Customs Service at the port of entry. FAS will consider ex-quota permits for imports of samples that will not enter U.S. commerce but are to be used at a trade fair, by a foreign embassy, or for taking orders, research, or testing of equipment. You do not need a license to import a product if you pay the high-tier duty rate. What products may be imported without a license? You do not need a license to import soft-ripened cow’s-milk cheeses, such as Brie, or products from 100-percent sheep’s or goat’s milk (except for blue cheese made from or containing sheep’s or goat’s milk). Certain dairy products may also be imported without a license under a "first-come, first-served" system. This means these products may be brought in at the low-tier duty rate until a specified TRQ is filled. Once the TRQ is filled, importers have to pay the high-tier duty. The items covered under the first-come, first-served system include: · dairy products imported under a Free Trade Agreement · cheddar cheese from Canada (made from unpasteurized milk and aged 9 months or more), · fluid milk or cream (fresh or sour), · milk or cream (condensed or evaporated and in airtight containers), and · dried buttermilk or whey You can find a complete list of first-come, first-served dairy products and the corresponding TRQs in the FAS Dairy Monthly Imports Circular. Visit the FAS website to view the monthly circulars. What import rights and limitations are conveyed by a license? All licenses have specific limitations. A typical license will identify the product, the country the product can be imported from, and the maximum amount that can be imported under that license. An "any country" license allows imports of a certain quantity of a particular product from any country in the world, instead of only one country. An "other country" license allows an importer to import a certain quantity of a particular product from any country other than a country that already has a specific TRQ. For example, the following suppliers have specific country TRQ allocations for American-type cheese: Australia, New Zealand, the European Union, and other countries. An importer with an "other country" license for 4,691 kilograms of American-type cheese could import up to that amount from Armenia or another country which is not one of the three countries or regions with a specific TRQ allocation.
Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA
http://www.fas.usda.gov/
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