US confirms quota for the United Kingdom in 2026

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) published a new ruling in the Federal Register confirming the beef tariff-rate quota (TRQ) for the United Kingdom effective January 1, 2026.

Under the new framework, a specific quota of 13,000 tons is created for the United Kingdom, to be administered under a “first-come, first-served” mechanism. In addition, the remaining quota allocated to the “other countries” group (previously 65,000 tons) will amount to 52,005 tons for 2026. This quota is used mainly by Brazil and, to a lesser extent, Paraguay.

Regarding a potential reallocation of any unused portion of the United Kingdom’s quota in 2026, one trader was skeptical. “I didn’t see any clause stating that if it isn’t used by a certain date it would be reallocated. That quota belongs to the United Kingdom, and if they don’t use it, they don’t use it. Brazilian companies will lobby to request it, but we’re talking about 10,000 or 12,000 tons. I’m not sure they’ll spend political capital on that,” he speculated.