Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how the UK’s access to the EU share of Canada’s WTO cheese tariff rate quota will be administered; and what new administrative processes will need to be undertaken by (a) UK exporters and (b) Canadian importers of UK cheese to access that quota.

The Trade Continuity Agreement (TCA) does not include a bilateral Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) on Cheese. However, our cheese exports will continue to be eligible for the EU reserve of Canada’s World Trade Organisation (WTO) quota for a further 3 years.

Canada’s WTO cheese quota is currently allocated every calendar year to traditional import allocation holders on the basis of their historical imports. The TCA does not change any administrative processes in how this quota operates for United Kingdom exporters or Canadian importers. The TCA ensures existing relationships between United Kingdom producers and Canadian importers who hold licenses for the EU reserve are protected.

From 31 December 2023, cheese originating in the United Kingdom will be eligible to be imported under the non-EU reserve of Canada’s WTO cheese TRQ. The TCA sets out that the United Kingdom and Canada will begin negotiations on a new Free Trade Agreement in 2021.