The UK tariff landscape saw a major scheduled transition on 30 June, with more than 2,600 measures coming to their end date. This included the conclusion of the current period for the UK’s steel safeguard quotas and the lapse of anti-dumping duties on nitrogenous fertilisers from Russia and Belarus. As anticipated in our recent briefings, this activity marks a routine end-of-quarter boundary change, with the next period for these measures beginning on 1 July. The day’s separate tariff update was minor, containing only 20 administrative records with no new policy implications.
Quarter-End Transition Takes Effect
The dominant event on 30 June was the scheduled conclusion of over 2,600 trade measures, marking the end of the second quarter and first half of the year. This large-scale transition is a regular feature of the tariff calendar and does not represent a change in underlying policy.
Key measures that ended on 30 June include:
- Steel Safeguards: The tariff rate quotas for the second quarter across multiple categories of steel products, including various hot-rolled sheets and coils (within HS Chapter 72), have now lapsed. This concludes the quota period that began earlier in the year.
- Anti-Dumping Duties: Definitive anti-dumping duties on imports of nitrogenous fertilisers (HS 3102) from Russia and Belarus also expired on 30 June.
This activity aligns with the quarter-end rollover we have been flagging. The expiry of these measures paves the way for the successor arrangements for the third quarter, which begin on 1 July.
Minor Administrative Updates
Separately, the tariff update loaded on 30 June was minimal. It contained 20 minor changes, primarily administrative adjustments to product descriptions and customs duty components. These changes were concentrated in chapters for iron and steel articles, glass, and electrical machinery but did not introduce any new duties or restrictions.
What to watch
With the second quarter’s measures now concluded, all attention shifts to the start of the third quarter on 1 July. The next briefing will detail the new tariff rate quota allocations under the steel safeguard regime and any successor measures that take effect for the new period. The full shape of the UK's trade protection landscape for the second half of the year will become clear in the coming days.