The Department of Agriculture manages 2 European Union (EU) and 2 United Kingdom (UK) export dairy tariff rate quotas, which were initially put in place after the World Trade Organization (WTO) Uruguay Round (1994) for the EU, and split between the EU and UK as a result of the United Kingdom leaving the EU (aka Brexit) in 2022:
- EU Table Cheddar
- UK Table Cheddar
- EU Cheese for processing
- UK Cheese for processing
These quotas are available on a first-come, first-served (FCFS) basis to Australian companies that wish to export dairy products to the EU and the UK.
Australian exporters can export specific quantities of the above products to the EU and UK at reduced tariff rates through these quotas.
The quota year runs in line with the calendar year.
Key dates to remember
1 January—New quota year commences
31 December—Quota year ends
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Current quota usage
The quota usage report shows the total quantity of quota available and shipped by Australia for all dairy quotas.
Apply for an EU or UK dairy quota certificate
To access the EU and UK dairy quotas an exporter must apply for an IMA1 certificate (quota certificate). To do this, the exporter must lodge a request for export (REX) through NEXDOC, one of the department’s electronic documentation system.
If an IMA1 certificate is required the following steps will need to be followed:
- When lodging the REX make sure to tick the quota indicator box
- Once the box is ticked, select the correct quota year
- Refer to the Dairy quota codes when completing the ‘exportperfnbr’ box
- Make sure the correct additional certificate template code is selected
- IMA1 for product going to EU
- IMA1 UK for product going to UK
- Complete any additional fields required for the certificate template
When the REX has reached ‘complete’ status in NEXDOC, the application will be received by the Quota Unit for processing on the next business day. IMA1 certificates are issued by the department’s Melbourne office but require an approval number issued by the Quota Unit, which will be supplied to the Melbourne office after the application is approved.
Historical quota usage
These tables show how the EU and UK dairy quotas have filled in previous years (note, prior to 2022 only historical data exists for the EU).
Legislation
The dairy quotas are governed by the Export Control (Tariff Rate Quotas) Order 2021. Exporters should be familiar with the order.
Data collection
The Quota Unit collects and manages the data presented on this website for commercial and government use. The data comes from the RFPs received by the department.
Contact us
For queries or assistance with the EU or UK dairy quota application process, contact the Quota Unit:
Phone: 02 6272 4068
Email: quota.admin@awe.gov.au