WTO: Cheeses of All Types TRQ – Serial No. 998

Date: October 1, 2020

This Notice replaces Notice to Importers No. 958 dated October 1, 2019 and sets out the policies and practices pertaining to the administration of Canada’s tariff rate quota (TRQ) for cheeses of all types under the World Trade Organization (WTO).

This Notice is provided pursuant to the authority of the Export and Import Permits Act (EIPA) and its corresponding regulations, and remains in effect until further notice.

1. Definitions

Cheese means a product that is included in Items 141to 157 of the Import Control List (ICL), namely cheese falling under tariff item 04.06 in the list of tariff provisions set out in the Schedule to the Customs Tariff.

See the List of EIPA commodity codes for cheeses.

Non-EU sources means import sources other than Member States of the EU.

Member States of the EU: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

2. Allocation policy

• To be eligible, you must be active in the Canadian cheese industry at the time of application, and must remain active during the quota year.
  • Note: You must, in addition, have been active in the Canadian cheese industry during the reference period.
• Individual applicants and related persons applicants are eligible for only one allocation.
  
  • Note: All applicants must provide a list of related persons.
  • Note: In the case of separate applications from related persons involving a parent company and one or more subsidiaries, only the application nominated by the parent company is considered.
• Allocations to individual eligible applicants are capped at a maximum 20% of the TRQ.
• The TRQ is divided in two reserves:
  • 69.9% is allocated to cheese imports from EU Member States;
  • 30.1% is allocated to cheese imports from non-EU sources.

3. Eligibility criteria

You are eligible to apply for an allocation if you are a:

Historical allocation holder

• who can demonstrate continuing contribution to employment and value added activity in the Canadian food sector.

4. Calculation of allocations

Historical allocation holders

• are each allocated the amount of quota that they were allocated in the previous year, as adjusted since (e.g., for under-utilization).

5. Transfer and under-utilization of allocations

• If you wish to transfer any portion of your allocation, you must submit a transfer request form.
  • Note: Transfers between EU and non-EU sources of supply are not authorized.
• If you use less than 95% of your allocation in one year, you may have your allocation adjusted downward by an under-utilization penalty in the following year.
  
  • Note: Any portion of your allocation that you transfer in accordance with the present policy is considered to have been used.

6. Related links

• General Information on the Administration of TRQs for Supply-Managed Products
• Key dates and access quantities
• Information concerning related persons
• How to apply for an allocation
  • List of EIPA commodity codes for cheeses
• How to apply for an import permit
• Allocation transfer request form
• Contact us