TN/AG/S/26/Rev.1  
 
28 March 2013  
(13-1684)  Page: 1/241  
Committee on Agriculture 
Special Session    
  
TARIFF QUOTA ADMINISTRATION METHODS AND FILL RATES 
2002-2011 
 
BACKGROUND PAPER BY THE SECRETARIAT
1 
Revision 
1. At the meeting of the Committee on Agricult ure Special Session on 16 November 2012 
Members endorsed the proposal for the Secretariat to provide a background paper on tariff quotas, 
administration methods and associated fill rates. The original request for this Secretariat paper is 
contained in the G-20 non-paper "Request of Studies on Tariff Rate Quota Administration and on Export Competition".
2 
2. The paper presents information on the application of tariff quota administration by WTO 
Members and the associated fill rates, and includes attachments. The information contained in this paper has been compiled from various sources, including Members' Schedules, Table MA:1 and 
MA:2 notifications, responses to relevant questions raised during the Committee on Agriculture 
review process, and other relevant documents submitted by Members. The paper also builds on and updates information contained in docume nts TN/AG/S/5, TN/AG/S/20 and TN/AG/S/22. 
3. The paper is organized as follows. The first section describes the core data on agricultural 
tariff quotas that are used in this paper. The second section provides definitions for the various 
tariff quota administration categories and explains the categorization method and fill rate calculations. Section three summarizes information on tariff quota imports, administration 
methods and fill rates and the status of compliance with MA:1 notifications. Annex A contains a 
table with simple average fill rates by Member and by administration method for the period 2002-
2011. Two attachments (available separately in excel format) provide the yearly data for notified 
imports, administration methods and fill rates disa ggregated at the tariff quota level. In addition, 
Members will have on-line access to the core data that forms the basis for this paper. 
 
_______________ 
 
                                               
1 This document has been prepared under the Secret ariat's own responsibility and is without prejudice 
to the positions of Members or to their rights or obligations under the WTO. 
2 JOB/AG/21. TN/AG/S/26/Rev.1 
 
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  1  DATA 
1.1.  This paper reports data on agriculture tariff quotas during the period 2002-2011. Each tariff 
quota is characterized by the scheduled tariff quota commitment, the annual imports and the associated administration method. As principal point of reference, the tariff quotas set out in 
Part I, Section I-B of Members' Schedules (or, in the case of Brazil and the United States, Part I, 
Section I A) are used. The paper also takes into account modifications of schedules via technical rectifications, Article XXVIII negotiations or Article XXIV:6 negotiations. 
1.2.  The total number of tariff quotas varies from year to year during this period for several 
reasons (see Table 1). Two of the countries that acceded to the WTO during this period have scheduled tariff quotas commitments.
3 In addition, nine WTO Member s with scheduled tariff quotas 
have joined the European Union.4 In the annexed data imports and administration methods are 
reported for these Members until the year of their accession to the EU. Finally, during this period 
three Members have eliminated or introduced tariff quotas through article XXVIII negotiations or as foreseen in the schedules included in their accession protocol.
5 
1.3.  One case exists where a Member notified to the Regular Committee on Agriculture the 
intended elimination of tariff quotas through Ar ticle XXVIII negotiations and at the time of the 
issuing of this paper these changes had not been  included in the certified schedules. In these 
cases, the data reported here reflect the scheduled information and additional information is 
captured in the corresponding country notes.6 
1.4.  In the case of the EU, the certified Schedule  for the EC-15 is used as the point of reference. 
The EU has also notified imports for 26 tariff quotas that are not currently identified in their 
certified schedule.7 Paragraphs 3.10. and 3.11. of this paper provide more details regarding the 
information provided by the EU to the Regular Committee on Agriculture for these tariff quotas. 
1.5.  Two Members have tariff quotas for which the scheduled quantity commitment is zero.8 In 
these cases the scheduled tariff quotas are listed with their notified administration methods, but 
no corresponding data for fill rates exists. 
1.6.  The fill rate data reported here is calculated from information provided by Members before 
1 December 2012 in Table MA:2 notifications and in  some cases provided by Members directly to 
the Regular Committee on Agriculture. In most cases Members notify data for notified quantities and imports at the tariff quota level of disaggregation and the notified quantities are usually the same as the Members' scheduled commitments. In a small number of cases, when Members notify 
aggregated data for tariff quotas, the notified quantities differ from the commitments in Members' 
schedules.
9 Often in these cases the notified quantity  is the sum of the scheduled commitment for 
more than one tariff quota. The calculation of fill rates reflects the structure of the information 
provided by Members (see paragraph 2.6. for description of fill rate calculation). 
                                               
3 Ukraine and Viet Nam. 
4 Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lit huania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. 
5 See Attachment 1: Canada (CANQ022), China (CHNQ005, CHNQ006 and CHNQ007), Moldova 
(MDAQ001, MDAQ002, MDAQ003), and Chinese Taipei (CHTQ001, CHTQ002, CHTQ003, CHTQ004, CHTQ021). 
6 See Attachment 1: Brazil (BRAQ002). 
7 G/AG/N/EEC/62. 
8 See Attachment 1: Venezuela (VENQ028) and Morocco (MARQ011, MARQ013 and MARQ014). 
9 For details, see Attachment 1: Bulgaria (BGRQ009, BGRQ010, BGRQ011, BGRQ012), China 
(CHNQ003, CHNQ004), Colombia (COLQ001, COLQ003, COLQ004, COLQ012, COLQ015, COLQ016, COLQ017, COLQ028, COLQ046, COLQ057, COLQ058, COLQ059, COLQ060, COLQ061, COLQ062, COLQ063, COLQ064, COLQ065, COLQ066, COLQ067), European Union (EECQ35, EECQ036), Guatemala (GTMQ008, GTMQ009), Iceland (ISLQ057, ISLQ083), Morocco (MARQ017, MARQ18, MAR019), Norway (NORQ052, NORQ053, 
NORQ061, NORQ062, NORQ080, NORQ082, NORQ091, NORQ092, NORQ093, NORQ095, NORQ096, NORQ097, 
NORQ106, NORQ107, NORQ109, NORQ110, NORQ194, NORQ198), and Switzerland (CHEQ023, CHEQ024, CHEQ025). TN/AG/S/26/Rev.1 
 
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  Table 1: Total number of schedu led TRQs by year and Member 
Member 2002 2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 2009 2010 2011  
Australia 2 2  2 2 2 2 2 2 2  2 
Barbados  36 36  36 36 36 36 36 36 36  36 
Brazil 2 2  2 2 2 2 2 2 2  2 
Bulgaria 73 73  73 73 73 Accession EU in 2007 
Canada 21 21  21 21 21 21 21 21 21  22 
Chile 1 1  1 1 1 1 1 1 1  1 
China 10 10  10 10 7 7 7 7 7  7 
Colombia 67 67  67 67 67 67 67 67 67  67 
Costa Rica 27 27  27 27 27 27 27 27 27  27 
Croatia 9 9  9 9 9 9 9 9 9  9 
Czech Republic 24 24  24 Accession EU in 2004 
Dominican Republic 8 8  8 8 8 8 8 8 8  8 
Ecuado r 14 14  14 14 14 14 14 14 14  14 
El Salvado r 11 11  11 11 11 11 11 11 11  11 
European Union 88 91  91 91 91 91 91 91 91  91 
Guatemala 22 22  22 22 22 22 22 22 22  22 
Hungary 70 70  70 Accession EU in 2004 
Iceland 90 90  90 90 90 90 90 90 90  90 
India 4 4  4 4 4 4 4 4 4  4 
Indonesia  2 2  2 2 2 2 2 2 2  2 
Israel 12 12  12 12 12 12 12 12 12  12 
Japan 20 20  20 20 20 20 20 20 20  20 
Korea, Republic of 63 63  63 63 63 63 63 63 63  63 
Latvia 4 4  4 Accession EU in 2004 
Lithuania 4 4  4 Accession EU in 2004 
Malaysia 19 19  19 19 19 19 19 19 19  19 
Mexico 11 11  11 11 11 11 11 11 11  11 
Moldova        3 3  3 
Morocco 19 19  19 19 19 19 19 19 19  19 
New Zealand 3 3  3 3 3 3 3 3 3  3 
Nicaragua 9 9  9 9 9 9 9 9 9  9 
Norway 232 232  232 232 232 232 232 232 232  232 
Panama 19 19  19 19 19 19 19 19 19  19 
Philippines 14 14  14 14 14 14 14 14 14  14 
Poland 109 109  109 Accession EU in 2004 
Romania 12 12  12 12 12 Accession EU in 2007 
Slovak Republic 24 24  24 Accession EU in 2004 
Slovenia 20 20  20 Accession EU in 2004 
South Africa 53 53  53 53 53 53 53 53 53  53 
Switzerland 28 28  28 28 28 28 28 28 28  28 
Chinese Taipei 22 22  22 17 17 17 17 17 17  17 
Thailand 23 23  23 23 23 23 23 23 23  23 
The former Yugoslav 
Republic of Macedonia WTO Membership 
on 4 April 2003 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1  1 
Tunisia 13 13  13 13 13 13 13 13 13  13 
Ukraine WTO Membership on 16 May 2008  1 1 1  1 
United States of America 54 54  54 54 54 54 54 54 54  54 
Venezuela, Bolivarian 
Republic of 62 62  62 62 62 62 62 62 62  62 
Viet Nam WTO Membership on 11 January 2007  3 3 3 3  3 
Total Number of 
Scheduled Tariff Quotas 1,430 1,434  1,434  1,174  1,171  1,089  1,090 1,093 1,093  1,094  
 TN/AG/S/26/Rev.1 
 
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  1.7.  Data on administration method also reflects information provided to the Secretariat until 1 
December 2012. Members provide details on administration methods primarily through Table MA:1 
notifications. Periodically MA:2 notifications and reports of the review process in the Committee on 
Agriculture also contain relevant information and this information is taken into account where 
appropriate. When questions and answers from the Committee on Agriculture indicate that a tariff 
quota administration method has been changed, the date for the change is assumed to be the year of relevant notification or the year that is specified in the response given in the Committee report. 
2  METHOD 
2.1.  In order to enable comparison across various administration methods, the Secretariat coded 
each tariff quota by category of administration method. The categories used in this study have been the basis for several earlier background papers by the Secretariat.
10 The Secretariat originally 
derived these categories of principal administ ration methods and categories of additional 
conditions following an examination of Table MA:1 notifications and the summary reports of the Committee on Agriculture. 
2.2.  In line with past practice, the Secretariat used a two-step process to categorize the 
administration methods. First, the Secretariat used the information included in Table MA:1 notifications and the summary reports of the Committee on Agriculture to categorise each tariff 
quota according to the descriptions of principal ad ministration method set out in Table 2. As a 
second step, the Secretariat analysed the informat ion to determine if the administration of the 
tariff quota included any of the additional conditions set out in Table 3. The assigned administration methods and additional conditions should generally be considered as indicative and 
may not perfectly match the description of the ca tegory concerned. In situations where Members 
had not provided new information on administration methods, either through notifications or in Committee meetings, between 1 March 2006 (the date of the most recent Secretariat paper on 
tariff quota administration TN/AG/S/22) and 1 December 2011, it is assumed that their tariff quota 
administration methods are unchanged. 
Table 2: Categories of Principal Tariff Quota Administration Methods 
Code Description 
AT Applied Tariffs : No shares are allocated to importers. Imports of the product concerned are 
allowed into the territory of the Member in unlimited  quantities at the in-quota tariff rate or below. 
AU Auctioning : Importers' shares are allocated, or lic ences issued, largely on the basis of an 
auctioning or competitive bid system. 
FC First-Come, First-Served : No shares are allocated to import ers. Imports are permitted entry at 
the in-quota tariff rates until such a time as the tariff quota is filled,  then the higher out-of-quota tariff automatically applies. The physical importation of the good  determines the order and hence 
the applicable tariff. 
HI Historical Importers : Importers' shares are allocated, or licences issued, principally in relation to 
past imports of the product concerned. 
LD Licences on Demand : Importers' shares are generally allocated, or licences issued, in relation to 
quantities demanded and often prior to the commencement of the period during which the physical importation is to take place. This includes methods involving licences issued on a first-come, first served basis and those systems where licence requ ests are reduced pro rata where they exceed 
available quantities. 
MX Mixed Allocation Methods : Administration methods involving a combination of the methods as 
set out above with no one method being dominant. 
NS Non-Specified : No administration method has been notified.  
OT Other : Administration methods that do not cl early fall within any other category. 
PG Producer Groups or Associations : Import shares are allocated enti rely or mainly to a producer 
group or association that imports (or has direct  control of imports undertaken by the relevant 
Member) the product concerned. 
ST Imports Undertaken by  State Trading Entities : Import shares are allocated entirely or mainly 
to a state trading entity which imports (or ha s direct control of imports undertaken by 
intermediaries) the product concerned. 
 
2.3.  The additional conditions outlined in Table 3 relate to which entities are eligible to participate 
under the relevant principal allocation methods set out in Table 2. For example, the category "Past 
Trading Performance" refers to the situation where licences are issued on demand and only 
                                               
10 See, for example, G/AG/N G/S/8/Rev.1 and TN/AG/S/22. TN/AG/S/26/Rev.1 
 
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  traditional importers of the products concerned are eligible to apply for licences. The conditions 
may also relate to other conditions which have to be met in order to be eligible for an import 
licence. For example, the category "Export Certificate" may refer to situations where exporting country must submit a certificate of origin in order to secure a share of the tariff quota. 
Table 3: Categories of Additional Conditions  Inherent in the Administration of Tariff 
Quotas 
Code Description 
d Domestic Purchase Requirement : An additional condition requiring the purchase or absorption 
of domestic production of the product concerned in  order to be eligible to secure a share of the 
tariff quota. 
h Past Trading Performance : An additional condition limiting eligibility to secure a share of the 
tariff quota to established importer s of the product concerned although allocations are not made in 
proportion to past trade shares. 
l Limits on Tariff Quota Shares per Allocation : An additional condition involving the specification 
of a maximum share or quantity of the ta riff quota for each importer or shipment. 
o None of the Specified Additional Conditions : None of the other additional conditions were 
identified. 
x Export Certificates : An additional condition requiring the submission of an export certificate, 
certificate of authenticity, certificate of origin, or any kind of export documentation issued by the exporting country concerned in or der to be eligible to secure  a share of the tariff quota. 
 
2.4.  This paper uses the categories of additional conditions that have been used in previous tariff quota administration papers in order to maintain consistency. Table 3 does not represent an exhaustive list of additional conditions which may apply to tariff quotas listed in this paper. The 
category "None of the Specified Additional Conditions" captures those situations where the other 
listed categories are not applicable to particular tariff quotas. This category, thus, includes both 
tariff quotas with administration methods that do not include additional conditions, as well as tariff 
quotas with administration methods that are not listed in Table 3. More than one additional 
condition may apply to a particular tariff quota. In this case the code is a combination of the letter codes contained in Table 3. 
2.5.  Throughout the paper, the following symbols have been used in the tables: 
Symbol Description Explanation 
n.a. Not applicable The tariff quota was not applic able during the year in question (e.g. 
due to the phase out of a quota or accession to the EU). 
… Not available The import data relating to the tariff quota in question had not been 
notified to the Secretariat by 30 November 2012.  
0 Zero "0" is included in tables summarising simple average fill rates and 
may indicate a low fill rate that was rounded to zero. 
 Blank An empty cell in a two or three-dimensional tabulation indicates 
that the combination in questi on (e.g. Member/administration 
method) was not identified. 
 
2.6.  Fill rates are calculated from the data provid ed in Table MA:2 notifications as the ratio of  
tariff quota imports to notified quantity of tariff qu ota. In this paper, the fill rates are adjusted for 
cases where notified imports are greater than tariff quota quantities by setting a maximum of 
100% tariff quota fill. For most cases the "notified quantity" of tariff quota is the same as the scheduled "final quantity" of tariff quota commitments, however for those tariff quotas notified in aggregate the notified quantity differs from the final quantity scheduled at the tariff quota level. 
3  OVERVIEW OF TARIFF QUOTA DATA (2002-2011) 
3.1.  The following section provides summary information for tariff quota administration methods, 
imports, fill rates and the status of notifications related to tariff quotas. Attachments 1 and 2 
include information reported by tariff quota. In a ddition, as noted above, the core data, including 
the full time series 1995-2011, upon which these summary tables are based will be available to 
Members on-line. TN/AG/S/26/Rev.1 
 
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  3.1  TARIFF QUOTA ADMINISTRATION SUMMARY STATISTICS 
3.2.  Table 4 provides summary information on pr incipal methods of tariff quota administration. 
Between 2002 and 2011, the "applied tariff" was the predominant method used by WTO Members to administer tariff quotas. While the absolute number of quotas that were administered using this 
method decreased during this time period, the prop ortion of tariff quotas administered with this 
method remained relatively constant. This is due to the fact that the total number of tariff quotas also decreased during this time period. Similar to the data for 1995-2002 reported in TN/AG/S/22, 
"license on demand" and "first-come, first-served" are the second and third most widely used 
principal means of administering tariff quotas, respectively. Over the ten years relevant for this paper, these categories made up at least 70% of the annual number of tariff quotas each year. 
Table 4: Number of Tariff Quotas by Principal Administration Method, 2002-2011 
Administration Method 2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 2009 2010  2011  
Applied Tariffs 602  605 605 538 537 498 498 497 497  476 
% of total scheduled tariff quotas 42.1  42.2 42.2 45.8 45.9 45.7 45.7 45.6 45.6  43.6 
First-Come, First-Served 170  170 170 122 122 76 76 79 81  81 
% of total scheduled tariff quotas 11.9  11.9 11.9 10.4 10.4 7.0 7.0 7.1 7.2  7.2 
Licences On Demand 347  358 351 226 225 225 226 226 227  226 
% of total scheduled tariff quotas 24.3  25.0 24.5 19.3 19.2 20.7 20.7 20. 7 20.8  20.7 
Auctioning 94  84 84 71 71 73 73 73 73  94 
% of total scheduled tariff quotas 6.6  5.9 5.9 6.0 6.1 6.7 6.7 6. 7 6. 7 8.6 
Historical Importers 105  105 105 89 89 89 89 89 89  89 
% of total scheduled tariff quotas 7.3  7.3 7.3 7.6 7.6 8.2 8.2 8.2 8.2  8.2 
Imports Undertaken By State Trading Entities 26  27 28 26 27 26 26 26 26  27 
% of total  scheduled tariff quotas 1.8  1.9 2.0 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.4  2.5 
Producer Groups Or Associations 8  7 6 6 7 7 7 7 7  7 
% of total scheduled tariff quotas 0.6  0.5 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6  0.6 
Other 5  5 5 4 4 4 4 4 4  4 
% of total scheduled tariff quotas 0.3  0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4  0.4 
Mixed Allocation Methods 68  68 75 87 84 83 82 83 83  84 
% of total scheduled tariff quotas 4.8  4.7 5.2 7.4 7.2 7.6 7.5 7.6 7.6  7.7 
Non-Specified 5  5 5 5 5 8 9 9 6  6 
% of total scheduled tariff quotas 0.3  0.3 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.7 0.8 0. 7 0. 5 0.5 
Total Number of Scheduled Tariff Quotas 1,430  1,434  1,434  1,174  1,171  1,089  1,090 1,093 1,093  1,094  
 
3.3.  Table 5 provides details on the distribution of the additional conditions associated with tariff 
quota administration. Most tariff quotas do not have any of the additional conditions identified in Table 3 associated with their administration. The downward trend in the number of tariff quotas 
that have additional conditions associated with their administration method, identified in 
TN/AG/S/22, continued during this time period. Over the period 2002-2011, there was a 45% reduction in the total number of tariff quotas affect ed by additional administration conditions. Part 
of this reduction can be explained by the fact that several WTO Members that implemented their 
tariff quota administration with additional co nditions joined the EU during this period. 
 TN/AG/S/26/Rev.1 
 
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  Table 5: Number of Tariff Quotas with Additi onal Conditions in Connection with Principal 
Administration Methods, 2002-2011 
Additional Condition 2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 2009 2010  2011  
Domestic Purchase Requirement 43  43 43 12 12 11 11 11 11  12 
Limits On Tariff Quota Shares Per Allocation 98  67 65 20 22 22 20 20 20  20 
Export Certificates 22  22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22  22 
Past Trading Performance 72  72 72 68 68 68 68 69 72  70 
Domestic Purchase Requirement + Limits On Tariff 
Quota Shares Per Allocation  3 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 1  1 
Domestic Purchase Requirement + Past Trading 
Performance  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0 
Limits On Tariff Quota Shares Per Allocation + 
Export Certificates 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1  1 
Export Certificates + Past Trading Performance 6  6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6  6 
Total Number of Tariff Quotas with Additional 
Conditions 245 214 212 130 132 131 129 130 133  132 
Number of Tariff Quotas with No Identified 
Additional Conditions 1,185  1,220  1,222  1,044  1,039  958 961 963 960  962 
Tariff Quotas with Additional Conditions as a 
Percentage of Scheduled Tariff Quotas (%) 17.1 14.9 14.8 11.1 11.3 12.0 11.8 11.9 12.2  12.1 
 
3.2  IMPORTS UNDER TARIFF QUOTAS 
3.4.  Table 6 summarizes the number of tariff quotas per year for which information on imports 
had not been received during the relevant period for each category of tariff administration. Notification practices differ with respect to tariff quotas that are administered using the "applied 
tariff" method. In some cases, Members do not report imports indicating that they do not consider 
these to be quotas in operation. In other cases Members report total imports in this category and these may be less or more than the scheduled final quantity tariff quota commitment. 
Attachment 1 includes data from Table MA:2 notifications including notified quantities and imports 
for each tariff quota. 
Table 6: Number of scheduled tariff quotas wi thout notified imports, by administration 
method and year 
Administration Method 2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 2009 2010  2011  
Applied Tariffs 426  427 424 299 301 288 289 363 364  413 
%  of  tariff quotas without notified imports 79  78 70 73 73 70 67 61 51  49 
First-Come, First-Served 6  12 14 13 13 13 27 33 52  55 
%  of  tariff quotas without notified imports 1  2 2 3 3 3 6 5 7 7 
Licences On Demand 65  65 125 57 58 58 62 122 171  209 
%  of  tariff quotas without notified imports 12  12 21 14 14 14 14 20 24  25 
Auctioning 9  8 8 9 8 6 7 9 13  15 
%  of  tariff quotas without notified imports 2  1 1 2 2 1 2 2 2  2 
Historical Importers 22  23 23 17 17 30 30 41 58  68 
%  of  tariff quotas without notified imports 4  4 4 4 4 7 7 7 8  8 
Imports Undertaken By State Trading 
Entities 6 4 3 4 4 5 5 5 17  24 
%  of  tariff quotas without notified imports 1  1 0 1 1 1 1 1 2  3 
Producer Groups Or Associations 0  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3  7 
%  of  tariff quotas without notified imports 0  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  1 
Other 2  2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2  3 
%  of  tariff quotas without notified impo rts 0  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0 
Mixed Allocation Methods 2  5 5 8 7 7 7 24 38  48 
%  of  tariff quotas without notified imports 0  1 1 2 2 2 2 4 5 6 
Non-Specified 0  0 0 0 0 3 4 1 1  1 
%  of  tariff quotas without notified imports 0  0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0  0 
Total scheduled tariff quotas without 
notified imports 538 546 604 409 410 412 433 603 719  843 
%  of  scheduled tariff quotas (table 4)  38 38 42 35 35 38 40 5 5 66  77 TN/AG/S/26/Rev.1 
 
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3.3  TARIFF QUOTA ADMINISTRATION AND TARIFF QUOTA FILL 
3.5.  Previous Secretariat papers have noted that fill rates should be understood to be broad 
indicators and that they have inherent weaknesses. They do not differentiate tariff quotas on the 
basis of the size or economic importance. Also, fill rates do not distinguish between low valued 
products and those recorded for high-valued products  since the calculation for fill rate is based on 
volume, rather than value, measures. In addition, simple average annual fill rates are influenced 
by the changing number of applicable tariff quotas each year. Since fill rates are based on notified 
information notification rates will also influenc e the calculations. During the period 2002-2009 data 
was available for 61% of scheduled tariff quotas. In contrast, for the period 2010-2011 the number of tariff quotas for which fill rate  can be calculated drops to about 30%. 
3.6.  Table 7 summarizes simple average fill rates by administration method by year. During the 
period 2002-2011,  tariff quotas were, on average, 61% f illed. Since the number of tariff quotas 
included in each of these simple average calculations varies widely, this table should be read in 
conjunction with table 4. For example the category "other" which has high simple average annual 
fill rates include less than 1% of the total scheduled quotas. 
3.7.  This paper also provides more detailed info rmation on administration and fill rates. First, 
Annex A presents disaggregated data on the aver age yearly fill rate by Member, by principle 
administration method. Second, A ttachment 2 presents the administration methods and fill rates 
at the tariff quota level. 
Table 7: Simple average fill rates by tariff quota administration method and year (%) 
Administration Method  2002 2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 2010 2011 Simple 
Average 
Fill Rate 
2002-
2011 
Applied Tariffs 69 66  67 63 63 69 69 73 72 73 68  
First-Come, First-Served 50 49  46 49 48 58 39 40 28 27 43  
Licences On Demand 54 52  53 55 60 57 58 56 59 86 59  
Auctioning 51 56  48 59 64 63 61 57 62 64 59  
Historical Importers 64 58  61 63 63 63 61 58 44 32 57  
Imports Undertaken By State 
Trading Entities 73 66  76 75 71 74 73 69 54   70  
Producer Groups Or Associations 75 60  68 47 63 60 62 56 75   63  
Other 100 100  100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100  
Mixed Allocation Methods 61 66  67 66 67 66 63 69 64 60 65  
Non-Specified 44 43  45 45 45 49 57 49 46 46 47  
Annual Simple Average Fill Rate 
Over All Tariff Quotas 64 62  63 62 64 66 64 63 60 61   
 
3.4  COMPLIANCE WITH TABLE MA:1 NOTIFICATIONS 
3.8.  WTO Members are required to notify their tariff quota administration methods using Table 
MA:1 notifications at the time of the first open ing of the scheduled tariff quotas. Members should 
notify subsequent changes to the notified admini stration method in an ad hoc manner when the 
changes are made. 
3.9.  The Secretariat regularly produces a document that summarizes the compliance of 
agriculture notification obligations that includes details of the notification record of WTO Members 
with respect to Table MA:1 and Table MA:2 notifications.11 Since the data reported here do not 
cover 2012, the year of Russian accession, the table shows that for the relevant time period all 
                                               
11 See G/AG/GEN/86/Rev.12. TN/AG/S/26/Rev.1 
 
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  Members included in the table were in compliance with their "one-off" notification obligations for 
tariff quota administration for sch eduled tariff quota commitments.12 
3.10.  In the case of the EU, a number of tariff quotas have been created as a result of EU 
enlargements during the period 2002-2011. In 2 004 the EU informed the Committee regarding its 
intentions with respect to notifications following the enlargement of the EU from 15 to 25 member 
States on 1 May 2004.13 At that meeting, the EU stated that the new EU member States would, to 
some extent, continue to notify on their own behalf for the reporting periods up to and including 
2003. For market access (except Table MA:1) and ex port subsidies, the EU intended to provide 
separate notifications for the reporting periods covering 1 January 2004 to 30 April 2004. For the reporting periods from 1 May 2004 onwards, the EU would provide merged EU-25 market access 
and export subsidy notifications. In 2009 the EU su bmitted a Table MA.2 notification with details of 
imports under these tariff quotas to the Regular Committee on Agriculture.
14 
3.11.  The EU stated further that the Committee would be kept informed about arrangements 
concerning new and modified tariff quotas through the regular Table MA:1 notification. In addition 
to timely notification of individual arrangements, the EU intended to give an overall MA:1 update 
including addenda once the GATT Article XXIV:6 negotiations had been concluded.15 
 
_______________ 
 
                                               
12 Moldova completed Article XXVIII negotiations in 2009 that resulted in the cr eation of three tariff 
quotas in agriculture. Moldova has not submitted Tabl e MA:1 or MA:2 notificati ons for these quotas. Since 
Moldova does not appear in the current version Secretariat's document summarizing notification compliance, a corrigendum of this do cument is foreseen. 
13 G/AG/R/39, paragraph 19. 
14 G/AG/N/EEC/62. 
15 G/AG/R/39, paragraph 21. TN/AG/S/26/Rev.1 
 
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  ANNEX A 
Table A.1: Principal Administration Method s – Simple Average Fill Rates by Member, 
2002-2011 – (%) 
Countries  AT AU FC  HI LD MX NS OT PG ST Average  
Australia                      
2002 100   82       91  
2003 100   90       95  
2004 82   93       87  
2005 98   97       98  
2006 100   97       98  
2007 100   100       100  
2008 100   99       100  
2009 100   99       100  
2010 100   100       100  
2011 100   100       100  
Barbados                      
2002 …    …     … …  
2003 …    …     … …  
2004 …    …     … …  
2005 …    …     … …  
2006 …    …     … …  
2007 …    …     … …  
2008 …    …     … …  
2009 …    …     … …  
2010 …    …     … …  
2011 …    …     … …  
Brazil                      
2002 100          100  
2003 100          100  
2004 100          100  
2005 100          100  
2006 100          100  
2007 100          100  
2008 100          100  
2009 100          100  
2010 100          100  
2011 …          …  
Bulgaria                      
2002 56  29         43  
2003 47  29         38  
2004 44  35         39  
2005 35  33         34  
2006 34  33         33  TN/AG/S/26/Rev.1 
 
- 11 - 
 
 
  
 
  Countries  AT AU FC  HI LD MX NS OT PG ST Average  
Canada                      
2002 …  86  99 87 97  100  100 95  
2003 …  63  98 73 98  100  100 89  
2004 …  70  88 66 97  100  99 87  
2005 …  58  80 74 96  100  100 85  
2006 …  63  58 71 98  100  100 82  
2007 …  68  70 68 98  100  99 84  
2008 …  60  75 66 98  100  99 83  
2009 …  56  77 75 98  100  100 84  
2010 …  …  60 49 98  100  … 77  
2011 …  …  … … …  …  … …  
Chile                      
2002     100      100  
2003     100      100  
2004     100      100  
2005     92      92  
2006     0      0  
2007     87      87  
2008     38      38  
2009     49      49  
2010     0      0  
2011     82      82  
China                      
2002     72 25     48  
2003     62 37     49  
2004     77 52     64  
2005     87 42     65  
2006     98 34     66  
2007     100 30     65  
2008     99 26     62  
2009     100 30     65  
2010     … …     …  
2011     … …     …  
Colombia                      
2002 77    68   100   82  
2003 67    65   100   77  
2004 69    70   100   80  
2005 67 100  62  73     76  
2006 68 100  66  80     79  
2007 69 100  75  100     86  
2008 77 100  75  87     85  
2009 74 100  75  100     87  
2010 71 100  75  85     83  
2011 … …  …  …     …  TN/AG/S/26/Rev.1 
 
- 12 - 
 
 
  
 
  Countries  AT AU FC  HI LD MX NS OT PG ST Average  
Costa Rica                      
2002 … 33         33  
2003 …     31     31  
2004 …     18     18  
2005 …     8     8  
2006 …     16     16  
2007 …     17     17  
2008 …     16     16  
2009 …     17     17  
2010 …     12     12  
2011 …     19     19  
Croatia                      
2002     80      80  
2003     80      80  
2004     89      89  
2005     89      89  
2006     79      79  
2007     78      78  
2008     89      89  
2009     78      78  
2010     72      72  
2011     …      …  
Czech Republic             
2002   57         57  
2003   61         61  
2004   47         47  
Dominican Republic             
2002     57      57  
2003     61      61  
2004     70      70  
2005     77      77  
2006     86      86  
2007     72      72  
2008     84      84  
2009     …      …  
2010     …      …  
2011     …      …  
Ecuador                      
2002    21       21  
2003    7       7  
2004    0       0  
2005    0       0  
2006    0       0  
2007    0       0  
2008    0       0  
2009    0       0  
2010    0       0  
2011    0       0  TN/AG/S/26/Rev.1 
 
- 13 - 
 
 
  
 
  Countries  AT AU FC  HI LD MX NS OT PG ST Average  
El Salvador                      
2002 … 100         100  
2003 … 77         77  
2004 … 76         76  
2005 … 80         80  
2006 … 84         84  
2007 … 67         67  
2008 … 23         23  
2009 … 48         48  
2010 … 23         23  
2011 … 29         29  
European Union             
2002 0  68  84 58      52  
2003 0  68  85 57      52  
2004 0  69  82 52      51  
2005 0  67  50 46      41  
2006 0  66  64 51      45  
2007 0  61  59 51      43  
2008 0  60  37 50      37  
2009 …  60  85 46      64  
2010 …  …  … …      …  
2011 …  …  … …      …  
Guatemala                      
2002 …    100      100  
2003 …    90      90  
2004 …    97      97  
2005 …    99      99  
2006 …    100      100  
2007 …    84      84  
2008 …    …      …  
2009 …    …      …  
2010 …    …      …  
2011 …    …      …  
Hungary                      
2002 …    44      44  
2003 …    35      35  
2004 …    …      …  
Iceland                      
2002 74 73         73  
2003 71 73         72  
2004 72 78         75  
2005 71 81         76  
2006 69 81         75  
2007 76 81         78  
2008 73 77         75  
2009 75 80         77  
2010 73 78         75  
2011 73 73         73  TN/AG/S/26/Rev.1 
 
- 14 - 
 
 
  
 
  Countries  AT AU FC  HI LD MX NS OT PG ST Average  
India                      
2002       …   … …  
2003 0         34 17  
2004 0         14 7  
2005 0         23 12  
2006 0         32 16  
2007 0         0 0  
2008 0         1 1  
2009 30         3 17  
2010 …         … …  
2011 …         … …  
Indonesia                      
2002 …         … …  
2003 …         … …  
2004 …         … …  
2005 …         … …  
2006 …         … …  
2007 …         … …  
2008 …         … …  
2009 …         … …  
2010 …         … …  
2011 …         … …  
Israel                      
2002 50   100 100 100  100   90  
2003 50   100 100 100  100   90  
2004 50   100 100 100  100   90  
2005 53   100 100 100  100   91  
2006 51   100 100 100  100   90  
2007 51   100 100 100  100   90  
2008 85   100 100 100  100   97  
2009 50   100 100 100  100   90  
2010 50   100 100 100  100   90  
2011 50   100 100 100  100   90  
Japan                      
2002     59 20  …  96 58  
2003     60 11  …  97 56  
2004     60 5  …  99 55  
2005     55 1  …  97 51  
2006     59 1  …  99 53  
2007     57 0  …  94 62  
2008     58   …  95 84  
2009     55   …  97 83  
2010     54   …  97 83  
2011     …   …  … …  TN/AG/S/26/Rev.1 
 
- 15 - 
 
 
  
 
  Countries  AT AU FC  HI LD MX NS OT PG ST Average  
Korea, Republic o f            
2002 65 29  84 39 71   66 79 62  
2003 59 52  82 45 89   41 86 65  
2004 54 43  85 38 92   69 100 69  
2005 53 45  83 43 84   27 98 62  
2006 40 68  85 43 86   31 98 64  
2007 40 47  84 45 78   32 97 61  
2008 27 39  83 42 71   33 96 56  
2009 26 16  80 44 77   29 86 51  
2010 … …  … … …   … … …  
2011 … …  … … …   … … …  
Latvia                      
2002     0      0  
2003     0      0  
2004     0      0  
Lithuania                      
2002    0       0  
2003    8       8  
2004    8       8  
Malaysia                      
2002 …   … …      …  
2003 …   … …      …  
2004 …   … …      …  
2005 …   … …      …  
2006 …   … …      …  
2007 …   … …      …  
2008 …   … …      …  
2009 …   … …      …  
2010 …   … …      …  
2011 …   … …      …  
Mexico                      
2002 …   100       100  
2003 …   100       100  
2004 …   100       100  
2005 …   100       100  
2006 …   100       100  
2007 …   100       100  
2008 …   100       100  
2009 …   100       100  
2010 …   100       100  
2011 …   …       …  
Moldova            
2002            
2003            
2004            
2005            
2006            
2007            
2008            
2009   …    …    … 
2010   …    …    … 
2011   …    …    … TN/AG/S/26/Rev.1 
 
- 16 - 
 
 
  
 
  Countries  AT AU FC  HI LD MX NS OT PG ST Average  
Morocco                      
2002   70         70  
2003   69         69  
2004   70         70  
2005   77         77  
2006   81         81  
2007   80         80  
2008   0         0  
2009   0         0  
2010   0         0  
2011   0         0  
New Zealand             
2002 55          55  
2003 77          77  
2004 71          71  
2005 83          83  
2006 80          80  
2007 85          85  
2008 88          88  
2009 81          81  
2010 82          82  
2011 79          79  
Nicaragua                      
2002 90   …       90  
2003 98   …       98  
2004 95   …       95  
2005 100   …       100  
2006 94   …       94  
2007 91   …       91  
2008 66   …       66  
2009 78   …       78  
2010 87   …       87  
2011 81   …       81  
Norway                      
2002 … 30  98 34      54  
2003 … 43  95 23      54  
2004 … 42  93 26      54  
2005 65 51  94 14      56  
2006 63 56  93 37      62  
2007 63 51  93 14      55  
2008 75 52  95 17      60  
2009 97 42  82 14      59  
2010 85 36  91 23      59  
2011 100 54  93 20      67  TN/AG/S/26/Rev.1 
 
- 17 - 
 
 
  
 
  Countries  AT AU FC  HI LD MX NS OT PG ST Average  
Panama                      
2002 55 45         50  
2003 61 51         56  
2004 78 46         62  
2005 70 47         59  
2006 65 53         59  
2007 61 57         59  
2008 48 57         52  
2009 49 53         51  
2010 56 77         67  
2011 46 60         53  
Philippines                      
2002 78   63      100 80  
2003 67   52      100 73  
2004 100   55      100 85  
2005 …   …      … …  
2006 …   …      … …  
2007 …   …      … …  
2008 …   …      … …  
2009 …   …      … …  
2010 …   …      … …  
2011 …   …      … …  
Poland                      
2002 0    23 21     15  
2003 1    21 23     15  
2004 0    18 11     10  
Romania                      
2002 …    0      0  
2003 …          …  
2004 …          …  
2005 …          …  
2006 …          …  
Slovak Republic             
2002   33         33  
2003   36         36  
2004   26         26  
Slovenia                      
2002  31   54      43  
2003 74 32   65      57  
2004 31 2   0      11  
South Africa             
2002 66   79 58      68  
2003 71   95 68      78  
2004 73   84 66      75  
2005 71   99 58      76  
2006 78   93 73      81  
2007 78   94 62      78  
2008 77   93 65      78  
2009 …   … …      …  
2010 …   … …      …  
2011 …   … …      …  TN/AG/S/26/Rev.1 
 
- 18 - 
 
 
  
 
  Countries  AT AU FC  HI LD MX NS OT PG ST Average  
Switzerland                      
2002 81 91  100 77 97     89  
2003 77 100  100 77 96     90  
2004 78 94  100 76 95     89  
2005 80 100  100 78 98     91  
2006 85 98  100 83 95     92  
2007 86 100  100 87 93     93  
2008 86 100  100 90 98     95  
2009 86 100  100 87 100     95  
2010 81 93  100 91 98     93  
2011 87 77  100 88 97     90  
Chinese Taipei             
2002  61   75 78     71  
2003  54   74 100     76  
2004  35    78     57  
2005  34   100 65     66  
2006  42   98 67     69  
2007  43    68     56  
2008  41    68     55  
2009  34    73     54  
2010  40    50     45  
2011  47    68     58  
Thailand                      
2002     32    80 21 44  
2003     31    75 11 39  
2004     33    67 39 46  
2005     31    67 26 41  
2006     40    86 16 48  
2007 100    28    81 21 58  
2008 100    39    83 20 61  
2009 0    35    75 21 33  
2010 0    33    75 20 32  
2011 …    …    … … …  
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia          
2003     100      100  
2004     100      100  
2005     25      25  
2006     13      13  
2007     45      45  
2008     34      34  
2009   27         27  
2010     26      26  
2011     62      62  TN/AG/S/26/Rev.1 
 
- 19 - 
 
 
  
 
  Countries  AT AU FC  HI LD MX NS OT PG ST Average  
Tunisia                      
2002    54       54  
2003    36       36  
2004    68       68  
2005    63       63  
2006    66       66  
2007    …       …  
2008    …       …  
2009    …       …  
2010    …       …  
2011    …       …  
Ukraine                      
2008       …    …  
2009     54      54  
2010     89      89  
2011     100      100  
United States of America             
2002   60    87 44    63  
2003   57    86 43    62  
2004   51    87 45    61  
2005   48    83 45    58  
2006   43    79 45    56  
2007   42    72 49    54  
2008   42    60 57    53  
2009   47    68 49    55  
2010   40    53 46    46  
2011   42    52 46    46  
Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic o f         
2002 …   …       …  
2003 …   …       …  
2004 …   …       …  
2005 51     56     53  
2006 50     56     53  
2007 50     60     55  
2008 52     61     56  
2009 …     …     …  
2010 …     …     …  
2011 …     …     …  
Viet Nam                      
2007       …    …  
2008       …    …  
2009       …    …  
2010   47         47  
2011   …         …  
 
 
_______________ 
 TN/AG/S/26/Rev.1 
 
- 20 - 
 
 
  
 
  ATTACHMENTS 
In the attached information, the tariff quotas are presented by Member in alphabetical order as 
they appear in the official list of WTO Members.  
ATTACHMENT 1: NOTIFIED QUANTITIES AND IMPORTS (2002-2011) 
TQID: indicates the number of the tariff quota for each Member in the same order as in the 
relevant schedules. This number can be used to se e the different number of tariff quotas for each 
Member. The seven-character code is comprised of  the three-letter WTO Member code, followed by 
"Q" for "quota", followed by th e three-digit number representing the tariff quota's place in the 
relevant Schedule.  
UNITS: indicates units for each tariff quot a as notified by relevant WTO Member. 
 NOTIFIED QUANTITY: indicates the notified tariff quota quantity for each of the implementation 
years, 2002-2011. This normally corresponds to scheduled tariff quota commitments. In cases 
where Members have notified aggregated quotas the number reflects the notified quantities specified in the notifications. 
 
IMPORTS: in-quota imports as notified by relevant WTO Members for each of the implementation years, 2002-2011.  
ATTACHMENT 2: ADMINISTRATION METHODS AND FILL RATES (2002-2011) 
TQID: indicates the number of the tariff quota for each Member in the same order as in the 
relevant schedules. This number can be used to se e the different number of tariff quotas for each 
Member. The seven-character code is comprised of  the three-letter WTO Member code, followed by 
"Q" for "quota", followed by th e three-digit number representing the tariff quota's place in the 
relevant Schedule. 
 
REG: a code indicating the principal administra tion method in the implementation years, 2002-
2011 respectively (for the code descriptions see Table 2  of this paper). 
 
ADC: a code indicating any additional condition in the implementation years, 2002-2011 (for the 
code descriptions see Table 3  of this paper). 
 
FILL RATES: Tariff quota fill rates (in %) are listed for each of the implementation years, 2002-
2011. The fill rates are adjusted for cases where notified imports are greater than tariff quota quantities by setting a maximum of 100% tariff quota fill. 
 
__________