Importing Agricultural Products under CETA

Products subject to the specific CETA rules of origin:

• Meat from animals that were born, raised and slaughtered from Canada.
• Cereals, grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables that were grown and harvested in Canada.
• Agricultural products that have been worked or processed in Canada using non-originating materials in accordance with the product-specific rules of origin are subject to a preferential duty rate under CETA, provided that they comply with the product-specific rules of origin outlined in Annex 5 — Product-specific rules of origin.

CETA tariff quotas

Under CETA, the EU has set annual duty-free tariff quotas for several products: shrimp, cod, wheat, sweet corn, bison, beef and pork. The details are set out in Annex 2-A of CETA.

With CETA, almost 94% of EU agricultural products* have become duty-free:

• pet food
• Frozen French fries
• Dried sweet cranberries
• Processed legumes
• soybeans and canola oil
• Prepared vegetables
• fruit juices (e.g. cranberry, blueberry)
• Spices/sauces
• maple syrup
• Fresh cherries
• Fresh apples

* This list is not intended to be exhaustive.

Some EU tariffs will gradually expire within the term (7 years/ until 2024)

• durum wheat (up to 148 €/ton)
• rye and barley (up to 93 €/ton)
• Soft wheat, medium to low quality (up to 95 €/ton)
• Sweet corn, frozen (5.10% + 9.40 €/100kg)
• oats (89 €/ton)

* This list is not intended to be exhaustive.

Under CETA, the EU has established annual duty-free tariff quotas for fresh/chilled beef and frozen/other beef and pork. You can find more information here.

Non-CETA issues to consider when importing agricultural products into the EU:

• Meat and meat products, fish, dairy products and eggs, as well as animal feed must be produced in a Establishment approved by the EU.
• For most products to be exported, an export certificate must be attached to the shipment.
• If a product is genetically modified or contains ingredients that are genetically modified, the genetically modified characteristic must be approved in the EU and the product must be labelled accordingly. lookout: Even though genetically modified products are permitted by law, the majority of them are not recognized in Germany and are actively avoided by consumers. Importing genetically modified products to Germany is therefore not recommended.
• In addition, there may be specific labelling requirements at EU Member State level or for certain products sold on the EU market.
• Imports of organic products from third countries are separate in the new EU Organic Regulation (EU) No 2018/848 regulated. The Federal Institute for Agriculture and Food (BLE - Section 522) is responsible for this. You can find more information here.

If you are a Canadian exporter of agricultural and food products, this guide for Canadian companies might be of interest to you

Are you interested in importing a Canadian product to Germany?

Are you thinking of investing in North America?

Feel free to contact the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service at deutschland.commerce@international.gc.ca