High-quality beef and grain-fed beef quotas (EU and UK)

Details on the amount of EU and UK HQB quota shipped and the balance remaining can be found at the below link under the heading “EU, UK and US red meat quota position”. The report is updated regularly.

The department does not provide data on grain-fed beef as it is an EU-managed global quota.

Check the current quota usage for EU and UK HQB.

An exporter may apply for an allocation of EU and/or UK HQB quota prior to the start of the quota year. (note, exporters that have not used HQB quota before should refer to the New Entrant section, below)

Application forms are available on the department’s website and must be submitted prior to the close of business on 16 May for allocations for the next quota year.

The amount of HQB quota to be allocated as an entitlement to applicants is calculated based on a three-year shipping history, with penalties for underuse of quota entitlements. Once entitlements have been determined, each applicant is then notified of their HQB quota entitlement for the next quota year.

All TRQs must provide a pathway for new entrants to enter and establish themselves in that market. As HQB is allocated based on an exporters previous shipping history using quota, this impedes the ability for new entrants to access this market. A separate pathway is therefore included to provide new entrants access to the benefits of tariff rate quota.

For each of the EU and the UK, 250 tonnes of quota is reserved as a new entrant amount. These new entrant amounts can be accessed by any exporter that has not received an allocation of HQB in the previous three years, and whom meets other eligibility requirements detailed in section 28 of the Export Control (Tariff Rate Quotas-General) Rules 2021. Individual new entrants are capped at accessing up to 80 tonnes to each of the EU and the UK in a quota year.  Exporters are considered new entrants for a period of 3 years to enable them to develop the shipping history necessary to then receive a standard allocation.
The new entrant amount is accessible on a first-come, first-served basis from the start of the quota year until the reclamation day (15 February). New entrants can receive an entitlement of quota from the reclamation day, to access for the remainder of the quota year (invitations to apply will be sent ahead of the reclamation day).  Please refer to Subdivision B of Part 3, Chapter 2 of the Rules for full details).

How to access new entrant quota

Exporters interested in accessing new entrant quota can check the volume currently available. The table ‘First come first served HQB’ is updated regularly and can be found via the ‘Current quota usage’ tab above.

Prior to requesting their first TRQ certificate in a quota year an exporter should refer to section 28 of the Rules, to determine whether they are eligible as a new entrant. In particular, an exporter cannot be a new entrant if they are an associated entity (within the meaning of the Corporations Act 2001) of any person who has been allocated an EU HQB entitlement in the previous 3 years or has used new entrant access quota in the previous 2 years. Interested exporters must complete the New Entrant Declaration form and provide it to the Quota Unit to confirm their eligibility each year.

Reallocation of quota for new entrants

On 15 February a reclaim and reallocation process takes place to aid in making quota available to those exporters that intend to use it in the remainder of the quota year.

As part of this process, any new entrants that have used new entrant quota during the quota year can apply to receive an allocation for use in the remainder of the year. 

• An application is made by completing the required form and returning it to the department by 15 February.
• New entrants are limited in applying for an amount no larger than the amount of new entrant quota they had used so far in the quota year, and still capped at accessing no more than 80 tonnes.
  • For example, an exporter that had used 30 tonnes of new entrant quota could apply for an allocation of up to 30 tonnes; whereas an exporter that had used 60 tonnes could apply for a maximum of 20 tonnes.
• The amount accessible across all new entrants is still limited to the 500 tonnes access amount.

Following the reallocation processes for new entrants and standard quota holders, any amount of quota unallocated becomes uncommitted quota available on a fist come first served basis.  Any exporter, including new entrants, can access this quota by applying for a certificate.  The new entrant cap does not apply when accessing uncommitted quota.

By 15 February in the quota year, quota entitlement holders must advise the department whether they wish to return or retain any amount of their entitlement. Exporters wanting to receive additional allocations of quota that has been returned must also apply by 15 February.

If quota is unallocated following this process, it will be made available via complete requests for permits on a first come, first served basis.

To apply for a quota certificate for a consignment of HQB or grain-fed beef, you must lodge a request for permit (RFP) through the department’s electronic documentation system, EXDOC.

Once your RFP has gone to ‘complete’ status in EXDOC, the data will go through to the Quota Unit on the next business day and a quota certificate will be printed. The original and 2 copies are mailed to you and a copy is kept by the Quota Unit.

If your quota certificate needs to be altered in any way, the exporter must notify the Quota Unit and a replacement certificate can be issued. Before the replacement certificate can be sent out, all copies of the original issued certificate must first be returned to the Quota Unit.

Airfreight consignments may require urgent documentation and the Quota Unit will endeavour to process these manually if requested.

If an airfreight certificate is required urgently, email the Quota Unit with RFP number of the consignment that requires a manual certificate. The email must be received by the Quota Unit no later than 1:00pm (Canberra time) for same-day processing.

Processing of same day certificates cannot be guaranteed. Processing and dispatch is dependent on staff availability and couriers.
When generated, the certificate will be sent to you by Express Post or couriered (if you have provided the Quota Unit with courier account details).

This listing of current standard quota entitlement holders can be used to check which exporters hold quota, should another exporter wish to approach them for a transfer.

2021 Entitlement holders list

EU HQB Entitlement

UK HQB Entitlement

If existing entitlement holders wish to transfer some or all of their quota entitlement, they can do so by using this form:

Notice to transfer annual EU HQB or sheepmeat quota entitlements.

Penalties apply to excess transfers of EU HQB. Exporters cannot receive an entitlement if they transfer more than 50% of their quota entitlement in any of the past 3 years. Transfers cannot be made after the reclamation day (15 February).

The EU and UK red meat quotas are governed by the Export Control (Tariff Rate Quotas - General) Rules 2021. This order outlines the rules for how to apply for quota, and how quota entitlements are calculated. Exporters should be familiar with the elements relevant to EU HQB (Part 3 of Chapter 2; Division 3 of Part 1, Chapter 3; and Chapter 4).

The Quota Unit collects and manages the data presented on this website for commercial and government use. The data comes from the RFPs received through EXDOC.