Taiwan                                   

Taiwan                                                                                          

Pork Quotas Ended; Special Safeguard Regulates Imports

As we reported in October, the high out-of-quota duty which strongly discouraged U.S. pork variety meat exports to Taiwan above the quota level ended on Jan. 1., 2005. Most pork items now pay a 12.5 percent duty. Pork bellies and pork offal, however, are subject to a special safeguard (SSG) regime, based on Article 5 of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture. Under the SSG, Taiwan can add a 33 percent surcharge (calculated on the tariff) when import volume exceeds a trigger volume or if local prices (in the case of pork bellies) fall below a trigger price. When the SSG is in force, the tariff on pork bellies will rise from 12.5 percent to 16.67 percent and the tariff on pork offal will go from 15 percent to 20 percent.

The SSG can also be triggered for bellies if the import price (C.I.F) is lower than the trigger price (for pork belly, NT$30/kg — $0.42 per pound). There is no trigger price for offal.

Full details of Taiwan import tariffs for meat are on the USMEF Web site.

Taiwan                                                                                          

Pork Quotas Ended; Special Safeguard Regulates Imports

As we reported in October, the high out-of-quota duty which strongly discouraged U.S. pork variety meat exports to Taiwan above the quota level ended on Jan. 1., 2005. Most pork items now pay a 12.5 percent duty. Pork bellies and pork offal, however, are subject to a special safeguard (SSG) regime, based on Article 5 of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture. Under the SSG, Taiwan can add a 33 percent surcharge (calculated on the tariff) when import volume exceeds a trigger volume or if local prices (in the case of pork bellies) fall below a trigger price. When the SSG is in force, the tariff on pork bellies will rise from 12.5 percent to 16.67 percent and the tariff on pork offal will go from 15 percent to 20 percent.

The SSG can also be triggered for bellies if the import price (C.I.F) is lower than the trigger price (for pork belly, NT$30/kg — $0.42 per pound). There is no trigger price for offal.

Full details of Taiwan import tariffs for meat are on the USMEF Web site.