US cheese quota allocations are due by 31 October

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) will notify applicants of their allocations for the 2027 US cheese export quotas by 31 October 2026 and issue licences by 15 December 2026GOV. The licences will be valid from 1 January until 31 December 2027GOV. They carry an obligation to export to the USA, and their rights cannot be transferred.

Notice to Traders 62/26 sets out the designated-importer arrangements for UK-origin cheese. Its application window ran from 1 to 10 September 2026, with applications and supporting documents due by 5pm on the final day. That window has now closed. Applicants had to be established and VAT-registered in the UK, and no security was required with applications.

The notice states that 73,170 kg is available under the Tokyo Round and 996,831 kg under the Uruguay Round for exports in 2027GOV. Product groups split between the two quotas require separate applications. The minimum application quantity is 10,000 kg, except for Blue Mould, and applications must not exceed 40% of the available quantity for each product group.

Applications had to identify the product group and product name by reference to the Harmonised Tariff Schedule of the United States. They also had to name the designated US importer, which must be a subsidiary of the applicant company. Required documents included that importer's declaration of eligibility under US import-licensing rules and evidence of cheese exports from the UK to the USA in at least one of the previous three calendar years.

Where applications exceed a product group's available quantity, RPA will apply an allocation coefficient. Where they do not, RPA may offer the remaining quantity to applicants proportionately to the quantities requested. An application therefore does not establish the final allocation.

Exporters should check the allocation they receive against their planned 2027 shipments. The notice describes exports in 2027 and licences valid during that year, but Annex 1 labels its quantity column as 2025; the Trader Team is the stated contact for questions about the notice.

The applicable administrative terms are set out in RPA Notice to Traders 62/26, including its application, allocation and licence-obligation sections and Annex 1.