G/AG/W/183  
 
31 July 2018  
(18-4855) Page: 1/24 
Committee on Agriculture    
 
TARIFF QUOTA ADMINIS TRATION METHODS AND FILL RATES  
2007 -2016  
BACKGROUND PAPER BY THE SECRETARIAT1 
1. At the Ninth  Session of the Ministerial Conference, Ministers adopted the D ecision on 
"Understanding of Tariff Rate Quota Administration Provisions of Agricultural Products, as defined 
in Article 2 of the Agreement on Agriculture" (WT/MIN(13)/39). Ministers instructed the Committee 
to review the operation of this Decision, commen cing no later than 2017, taking into account 
experience gained up to that time .2 The Review discussions commenced at the October 2017 
meeting of the Committee.3 At the February 2018 meeting, the Committee agreed to the process 
and timelines to conduct the Review in document G/AG/W/171.4 In response to requests from 
Members and as per the agreed process and timelines to conduct the review, the Secretariat has 
prepared this  background paper in order to facilitate the Review discussions.  
2. The paper presents inf ormation on tariff quota administration methods by WTO Members 
and the associated fill rates. The information has been compiled from various sources, including 
Members' Schedules, Table MA:1 and MA:2 notifications and responses to relevant questions 
raised  during the Committee on Agriculture review process. The paper also draws from and 
updates information contained in previous Secretariat notes on tariff quota administration and fill 
rates issued in the TN/AG/S/ series.  
3. The paper is organized as follows:  The first section describes the core data on scheduled 
agricultural tariff quotas. The second section defines  the various tariff quota administration 
categories , identifies those tariff quotas that were not opened  during the period under review and 
explain s the fill rate calculations. Section three summarizes information on tariff quota imports, 
administration methods , country -specific quota allocations and fill rates as well as Members' 
compliance with Table MA:1 notification  requirement s. Annex A presents  the simple average fill 
rates by Member and by administration method for the period 2007 -2016. Annex B incorporates 
specific technical notes, organized by Member and tariff quota identifier (TQ ID). Two A ttachments 
(available separately in E xcel format) p rovide respectively : (i) the yearly data for notified imports, 
administration methods and fill rates disaggregated at the tariff quota level , and (ii) a list that 
identifies all those tariff quotas where the bound in -quota tariff equals or exceeds the out -of-quota 
bound tariff  in respect of each tariff line covered by the tariff quota in question.   
 
                                                
1 This document has been prepared under the Secretariat's own responsibility in response to the request 
from Members in the context of the review of the operation of the Bali Decision on TRQ administration and is 
without prejudice to the positions of Member s or to their rights or obligations under the WTO.  
2 Paragraph 13 of WT/MIN(13)/39 . 
3 Section 2.2.1 of G/AG/R/86 refers.  
4 Section 2.5.1 of G/AG/R/87 refers.  G/AG/W/183  
 
- 2 - 
 
  1  DATA  
1.1.  This paper presents data on scheduled agriculture tariff quotas over a ten -year period , i.e. 
from 2007 to 2016. Each tariff quota is characterized by the scheduled commitment, the notified 
annual imports and the notified  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 of America, Part I, Section I -A) are used. The paper also takes into account the 
rectifications and modifications of Schedules , including through  GATT Article XXVIII or 
Article  XXIV:6 negotiations.  
1.2.  Table 1 p resents the total number of agriculture  tariff quotas included in Members' Schedules 
organized by year and Member , except where zero tariff quota quantity levels were scheduled.5 
Similarly, tariff quotas that are explicitly indicated to have been eliminate d in a Schedule are not 
counted in the totals.6 In the case of the European Union (EU), the certified EU -25 Schedule7 is 
used as the point of reference. Modified tariff quota quantities as well as additional tariff quotas 
pursuant to the outcome  of negotia tions under GATT Articles XXIV:6 and XXVIII  relating to the 
accession of Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania to the EU have been taken into account  based on EU's 
Table MA:1 and MA:2 notifications . Individual EU member States with scheduled tariff quota 
commitmen ts have not been included in the paper where  the tariff quota administration and fill 
rate information is not relevant to the review period (i.e. 2007 -2016) .8 In the case of  Croatia, the 
notified tariff quota administration and fill rates for the period of  2007-2013 with respect to nine 
scheduled tariff quotas can be found in Attachment 1.    
1.3.  In a number of cases, at the end of the implementation period the bound in -quota tariff 
equalled or exceeded the corresponding bound out -of-quota tariff in respect of all tariff lines 
comprising a scheduled tariff quota . In such a situation, the applied MFN tariff on the relevant 
tariff quota products may not exceed the corresponding bound in -quota tariff and hence generally 
obviating the need to open those tariff quotas. Attachment 2 includes an extract of all such 
scheduled tariff quotas where the bound in -quota tariff either equals or exceeds the corresponding 
bound out -of-quota tar iff.9 
1.4.  Data on tariff quota administration methods and in -quota imports reflect information notified 
by Members until 30 July 2018 .10 Members provide details on administration methods primarily 
through Table MA:1 notifications. However, Table MA:2 notificati ons are also used by Members to 
report on tariff quota administration , especially in cases whe re a tariff quota is not opened and 
rather a tariff is generally applied at or below the level of bound in -quota tariff in the relevant 
reporting year. The inform ation supplied by Members during the review process undertaken by the 
Committee on Agriculture has also been taken into account , where appropriate.  
1.5.  Throughout the paper (including in tables, annexes and attachments), a blank has been used 
to signify " not available ", or "not applicable" , i.e. (i) no notification was submitted by the cut -off 
date;  or (ii) in-quota imports were not notified  (e.g. when imports were permitted under a 
generally -applied MFN tariff at or below the bound in-quota rate) ; or (iii) th e data relating to a 
tariff quota was aggregated with that of another tariff quota (see Technical Notes in Annex B) ; or 
(iv) the country concerned was not a Member in the relevant period.  
                                                
5 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of (VENQ028), Morocco  (MARQ011, MARQ013 and MARQ014) and the 
Russian Federation (RUSQ008).  
6 China  (CHNQ005, CHNQ006 and CHNQ007 ), Chinese Taipei  (CHTQ001, CH TQ002, CHTQ003, 
CHTQ004, CHTQ019 ) and Panama (PANQ016) . 
7 WT/LET/1220.  
8 Earlier background papers on tariff quota administration and fill rates (e.g. TN/AG/S/26/ Rev.1) include 
the relevant information in respect of individual EU member States and may be consulted.  
9 In some limited cases, the differing duty types (e.g. ad valorem  vs. specific or mixed tariffs) of out -of-
quota and in -quota bindings may not facilita te a comparison in the respective tariff binding levels. Those tariff 
quotas have not been included in Attachment 2.  
10 Notifications circulated for the reporting period 2017 and 2018 are not covered by the present paper.  G/AG/W/183  
 
- 3 - 
 
  Table 1 : Total number of scheduled tariff quotas  by Member , 2007 -2016 
MEMBER  2007  2008  2009  2010  2011  2012  2013  2014  2015 2016  
1. Australia  2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 
2. Barbados  36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 
3. Brazil  2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 
4. Canada  21 21 21 21 22 22 22 22 22 22 
5. Chile 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
6. China  7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 
7. Colombia  67 67 67 67 67 67 67 67 67 67 
8. Costa Rica  27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 27 
9. Dominican 
Republic  8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 
10. Ecuador  14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 
11. El Salvador  11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 
12. European 
Union  113 113 113 113 113 120 120 120 124 124 
13. Guatemala  22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 
14. Iceland  90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 
15. India 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 
16. Indonesia  2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 
17. Israel  12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 
18. Japan  20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 
19. Kazakhstan  WTO Membership on 30 November 2015  3 
20. Korea, 
Republic of  67 67 67 67 67 67 67 67 67 67 
21. Malaysia  19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 19 
22. Mexico  11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 
23. Moldova, 
Republic of  3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 
24. Morocco  16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 
25. New Zealand  3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 
26. Nicaragua  9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 
27. Norway  232 232 232 232 232 232 232 232 232 232 
28. Panama  19 19 19 19 19 19 18 18 18 18 
29. Philippines  14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 
30. Russian 
Federation  WTO Membership on 22 August 2012  8 8 8 8 
31. South Africa  53 53 53 53 53 53 53 53 53 53 
32. Switzerland  28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 
33. Chinese Taipei  18 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 
34. Thailand  23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 
35. The former 
Yugoslav 
Republic of 
Macedonia  1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
36. Tunisia  13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 
37. Ukraine  WTO 
Membership 
on 16 May 
2008 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
38. United States 
of America  54 54 54 54 54 54 54 54 54 54 
39. Venezuela, 
Bolivarian 
Republic of  61 61 61 61 61 61 61 61 61 61 
40. Viet Nam  3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 
Total Number of 
Scheduled Tariff 
Quotas  1106 1106 1106 1106 1107 1114 1121 1121 1125 1128 
 
  G/AG/W/183  
 
- 4 - 
 
  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 paper have 
been the basis of earlier background papers by the Secretariat.11 The Secretariat originally derived 
these categories of principal administration methods and categories of additional conditions 
following an examination of Members' Table MA:1 and MA:2 notifications and the s ummary reports 
of the Committee on Agriculture.  
2.2.  In line with past practice, a two -step process was used to categorize the administration 
methods. First, the information reported  in Table MA:1 and MA:2 notifications and the record of 
the discussions in the  Committee on Agriculture were used to categorise each tariff quota 
according to the descriptions of principal administration method s set out in Table 2  below . As a 
second step, the Secretariat analysed the information to determine if the administration of  the 
tariff quota included any of the additional conditions or elements as 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 cat egory concerned. In situations 
where Members did not provide  new information  on administration methods, it wa s assumed that 
their tariff quota administration methods remained  unchanged.  
Table 2: Categories of Principal Tariff Quota Administration Methods  
CODE DESCRIPTION  
AT Applied Tariffs : Tariff quota is not opened.  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  licences issued, largely on the basis of an 
auctioning or competitive bid system.  
FC First-Come, First -Served  (at the border) : No allocation of  licenc es or of access to quota  to 
importers . Imports are permitted entry at the in -quota tariff rates until su ch 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 lic ences 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 duri ng 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 requests 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 clearly fall  within any other category.  
PG Producer Groups or Associations : Import shares are allocated entirely 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 has direct control of imports undertaken by 
intermediaries) the product concerned.  
 
2.3.  This paper uses the categories of additional conditions that have been used in previous tariff 
quota administration papers in order to maintain consistency. The additional conditions or 
elements outlined in Table 3 relate, inter alia , to the eligib ility re quirements that must be met by 
importers  to apply for tariff quota shares 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 a nd only traditional importers of the products concerned are eligible 
to apply for licences. The paper also monitors the application of other conditions that have to be 
met by the applicants in order to be eligible for an import licence. For example, the c ategory 
"Export Certificate"  refers to situations where the exporting country must submit a certificate of 
origin in order to secure a share of the tariff quota. The additional condition column in Attachment 
1 has been left blank  where the listed categories  of additional conditions are not applicable . This 
includes tariff quotas with administration methods that do not include additional conditions, as well 
                                                
11 See, for example, G/AG/NG/S/8/Rev .1, TN/AG/S/22 and TN/AG/S/26/Rev.1.  G/AG/W/183  
 
- 5 - 
 
  as tariff quotas with administration methods that are not listed in Table 3. More than one 
additional c ondition may also apply to a particular tariff quota. In this case , the code is a 
combination of the letter codes contained in Table 3.  
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 importers 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 invo lving the specification 
of a maximum share or quantity of the tariff quota for each importer or shipment.  
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 order to be eligible to secure a share of the tariff quota.  
  Blank: None of the additional conditions , listed above,  were identified.  
2.1  TARIFF QUOTAS SUBJECT TO "APPLIED TARIFFS" (AT)  
2.4.  There are a number of scheduled tariff quotas that are not opened annually. These tariff 
quotas are identified by the principal administration method of "applied tariffs" ("AT") as per the 
classification in Table 2. They invariably correspond to cases where the MFN tariff s applied on  the 
tariff lines comprising the tariff quota are equal to or below the corresponding bound in -quota 
tariff. In numerous instances, this situation arises where  the bound out -of-quota tariff s specified  in 
Section IA of the concerned Member's Schedule for the tariff li nes comprising a tariff quota are  
equal to or below the corresponding in -quota tariff.12 In such cases, the applied MFN tariff in any 
implementation year may not exce ed the bound in -quota tariff  thus generally obviating the need 
to open the tariff quotas. A list of all such generally "inactive" tariff quotas is included in 
Attachment  2.  
2.5.  In very limited cases , however,  tariff quota s that are listed in Attachment  2 may 
simultaneously be reported to have been open. One such situation, as was reported to the 
Committee13, arose  when a Member applie d the  Special Safeguard  provision  (Article 5 of the 
Agreement on Agriculture -SSG) and sought to exempt imports under tariff quota commitments 
from the application of additional duties. In such cases, while there may not be a general tariff 
advantage in availing tariff quota access (as the applied MFN tariff does not exceed the in -quota 
tariff), exemption of in -quota imports from the application of SSG provides value and incentive to 
importers to apply for access to such otherwise "inactive" tariff quotas. There are a few other 
instances noted where f or some years a tariff quota listed in Attachment  2 was reported as open in 
the concer ned Member's Table MA:1 or MA:2 notification.    
2.6.  These are also cases , where in a given year,  a Member decides to apply an MFN tariff to a 
product subject to tariff quota commitment that is equal to or below the corresponding bound in -
quota tariff. Unlike the tariff quotas identified in Attachment  2, in this case the bound in -quota 
tariffs for some or all of the tariff lines comprising the tariff quota remain  below the corresponding 
bound out -of-quota tariff s. These tariff quotas may not be deemed as "inact ive" by virtue of the 
Schedule d commitment . Here, t he requirement to open a particular tariff quota may arise as soon 
as the applied tariff on the concerned product is raised to levels higher than the corresponding 
bound in -quota tariff.  
2.7.  An increasing num ber of scheduled tariff quotas are notified as being subject to the applied 
tariff ("AT")  method . This signifies that these tariff quotas are not opened or administered. The 
remaining "active" tariff quotas are opened annually. Table 4 includes the total n umber of "active" 
tariff quotas organized by year and Member based on the ir Table MA:2 notifications . For each 
                                                
12 Please also refer to paragraph 1.3.  
13 Please refer to the response to question ID#75010 under the Agriculture Information Management 
System at http://agims.wto.org . G/AG/W/183  
 
- 6 - 
 
  Member, t hese annual numbers have been derived by subtracting the number of tariff quotas that 
are notified as being subject to "AT" in the relev ant notified year from the respective ly scheduled 
total14 number of tariff quotas . Members employ various import arrangements including licensing 
requirements, to administer these open tariff quotas. Attachment 1 includes details with regard to 
those administration methods (as well as fill rates) which are analysed further in Section 3. In the 
absence of MA:2 notification s for the relevant year(s), the table below shows the corresponding 
cell(s) for the concerned Member as blank.  
Table 4: T otal number of active/open TRQs by year and Member , 2007 -2016  
MEMBER  2007  2008  2009  2010  2011  2012  2013  2014  2015  2016  
1. Australia  1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
2. Barbados15            
3. Brazil  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
4. Canada  21 21 21 21 22 22 22 22 22 1416 
5. Chile 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1  
6. China  7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7   
7. Colombia  12 12 12 12       
8. Costa Rica  8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 
9. Dominican Republic  8 8 8 8 8 8     
10. Ecuador  1 1 1 1 1 1 1    
11. El Salvador  1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1  
12. European Union17 112 112 112 112 112 119 119 119 123 123 
13. Guatemala  4 4 3 2 4 3 3 2 2  
14. Iceland  24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24  
15. India 3 3 3        
16. Indonesia  0 0 0 0 0      
17. Israel  10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 
18. Japan  20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 
19. Kazakhstan  WTO Membership on 30 November 2015  3 
20. Korea, Republic of  63 63 63 63 63 63 63 63 63  
21. Malaysia   11 11 11 12 11 11 11 11 11 
22. Mexico  1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
23. Moldova, Republic of    3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 
24. Morocco  7 7 7 7 7 7     
25. New Zealand  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
26. Nicaragua  2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 
27. Norway  21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 
28. Panama  19 19 19 19 19 19 18 18 18 18 
29. Philippines  12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12  
30. Russian Federation  WTO Membership on 22 August 2012  8 8 8 8 
31. South Africa  24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24  
32. Switzerland  28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 28 
33. Chinese Taipei  17 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 
34. Thailand  23 23 22 22 22 22 22 23 23  
35. The former Yugoslav 
Republic of Macedonia  1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
36. Tunisia  13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 10 
                                                
14 As included in Table 1.  
15 No Table MA:2 notifications were received for the period under review.   
16 Partial Table MA:2 notification. Please see Technical Notes.  
17 Information on tariff quota (EECQ067) was not reported in Table MA:2 notifications for the c overed 
period (2007 -16). Please see Technical Notes.  G/AG/W/183  
 
- 7 - 
 
  MEMBER  2007  2008  2009  2010  2011  2012  2013  2014  2015  2016  
37. Ukraine  WTO Membership on 
16 May 2008  1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
38. United States of 
America18 43 43 43 43 43 43 43 43 43  
39. Venezuela, Bolivarian 
Republic of  17 17     119    
40. Viet Nam     3 3 3 3 3 3  
Total Number of open  
Tariff Quotas  524 534 520 519 510 515 508 506 503 299 
 
3  OVERVIEW OF TARIFF Q UOTA DATA (2007 -2016)  
3.1.  The following section summar ises the  information supplied on tariff quota administration 
methods, imports, fill rates and gives an overview of the status of notifications related to tariff 
quotas. Attachment 1 includes consolidated information in respect of tariff quota administration , 
including addition al conditions and country -specific quota allocations , where relevant , and fill -rates 
reported by Members and tariff quota s for the period 2007 to 2016.  
3.2.  Annual fill rates are calculated from the data provided in Table MA:2 notifications as the ratio 
of in-quota imports for the year concerned to tariff quota  quantity commitment level. The fill rate s 
are included only in those cases where a tariff quota is opened. In this paper, the fill rates are 
adjusted for cases where notified imports are greater than scheduled tariff quota quantities by 
setting a maximum of 100% tariff quota fill . In some cases where notified in -quota imports are 
aggregated for more than one tariff quota, fill rates are calculated based on the aggregated 
scheduled tariff quota quantit ies. 
3.1  TARIFF QUOTA ADMINISTRATION SUMMARY STATISTICS  
3.3.  Table 5 provides summary information on principal methods of tariff quota administration. 
Between 2007 and 2016 , a majority of tariff quotas was reported to be subject to  "applied tariffs"  
method . "Licenc es on demand" and " auctioning " are the second and third most widely used 
principal means of administering tariff quotas, respectively. Due to the number  of outstanding 
Table MA:2 notifications , the table below   reflect s a declining number of reported adminis tration 
methods t owards the later years.     
Table 5 : Number of Tariff Quotas by Principal Administration Method, 2007 -2016  
ADMINISTRATION METHO D 2007  2008  2009  2010  2011  2012  2013  2014  2015  2016  
Applied Tariffs  530 519 475 475 485 486 476 474 395 266 
% of total scheduled tariff quotas  48 47 43 43 44 44 43 42 35 24 
First-Come, First -Served  43 43 43 43 43 42 36 36 36 3 
% of total scheduled tariff quotas  4 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 0.3 
Licences On Demand  210 221 224 226 227 231 223 236 243 170 
% of total scheduled tariff quotas  19 20 20 20 20 21 20 22 22 15 
Auctioning  89 88 88 88 81 81 80 80 79 51 
% of total scheduled tariff quotas  8 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 5 
Historical Importers  73 73 73 73 69 69 77 75 72 38 
% of total scheduled tariff quotas  7 7 7 7 6 6 7 7 6 4 
Imports Undertaken By State Trading Entities  19 19 19 16 16 16 16 6 6 0 
% of total scheduled tariff quotas  2 2 2 1 1 1 1 0.5 0.5 0 
Producer Groups Or Associations  8 8 8 8 8 8 8 4 4 0 
% of total scheduled tariff quotas  1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0.4 0.4 0 
Other  9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 
% of total scheduled tariff quotas  1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
Mixed Allocation Methods  72 72 55 55 56 56 57 60 53 27 
% of total scheduled tariff quotas  7 7 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 2 
                                                
18 Tariff quotas reserved for Mexico under NAFTA are not included. Please see Technical Notes.  
19 Partial Table MA:2 notification. Please see Technical Notes.  G/AG/W/183  
 
- 8 - 
 
  ADMINISTRATION METHO D 2007  2008  2009  2010  2011  2012  2013  2014  2015  2016  
Non-Specified  1 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 
% of total scheduled tariff quotas  0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 
Total Number of Scheduled Tariff Quotas  1106  1106  1106  1106  1107  1114  1121  1121  1125  1128  
 
3.4.  Table 6 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 principal administration  method. As in Table 5, a lack of Table MA:2 
notifications may have impacted the results especially towards the later years.  
Table 6 : Number of Tariff Quotas with Additional Conditions in Connection with Principal 
Administration Methods, 2007 -2016  
ADDITIONAL CONDITION  2007  2008  2009  2010  2011  2012  2013  2014  2015  2016  
Domestic Purchase Requirement  11 11 11 11 11 11 11 10 10 8 
Limits On Tariff Quota Shares Per Allocation  2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 
Export Certificates  28 28 28 28 28 35 35 35 32 29 
Past Trading Performance  57 57 57 60 60 60 53 53 47 29 
Export Certificates + Past Trading Performance  6 6 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 
Total Number of Tariff Quotas with Additional 
Conditions  106 106 105 108 108 115 107 106 98 74 
Number of Tariff Quotas with No Identified 
Additional Conditions  948 947 890 886 887 885 877 875 800 
 491 
Tariff Quotas with Additional Conditions as a 
Percentage of Scheduled Tariff Quotas (%)  10 
 10 9 10 10 10 10 9 9 7 
 
3.2  TARIFF QUOTAS SUBJECT TO COUNTRY -SPECIFIC QUANTITY (CSQ) ALLOCATIONS  
3.5.  From the perspective of potential exporting countries, there are two types of tariff quota 
allocations. Under a "global" tariff quota allocation system, the available quota quantity is not 
assigned to specific supplying countries. Simultaneously , some tari ff quotas may entail "country -
specific allocations". Under this allocation system, a specific country or a group of countries is 
granted access to a specified quantity within the total tariff quota quantity. In some cases, Part I, 
Section I of some Members ' Schedules provide s for such country -specific allocations under the 
column "other terms and conditions ". Members are required to report information with regard to 
country -specific allocations or otherwise in their Table MA:1 notifications (entry " (a) allo cation of 
quotas to supplying countries " in column 3) and the same has been used in the background 
paper.20 Table 7 includes information on the number of tariff quotas with country -specific 
allocations organized by Member and year. Attachment 1 identifies t ariff quotas that are subject to 
country -specific allocation s (using the symbol "CSQ"), broken down  by Member and year.  
Table 7: Number of tariff quotas with country -specific allocation by Member, 2007 -2016  
  Country -specific tariff quotas according to MA:1 notifications  
 MEMBER  2007  2008  2009  2010  2011  2012  2013  2014  2015  2016  
1 Australia  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
2 Barbados  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
3 Brazil  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
4 Canada  5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
5 Chile 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
6 China  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
7 Colombia  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
8 Costa Rica  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
9 Dominican Republic  1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
10 El Salvador  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
11 European Union  29 29 29 29 29 36 36 36 41 41 
12 Guatemala  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
13 Iceland  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
                                                
20 In some very limited cases, information wit h regard to country -specific allocations has been reported 
by Members in Table MA:2 notifications.  G/AG/W/183  
 
- 9 - 
 
    Country -specific tariff quotas according to MA:1 notifications  
 MEMBER  2007  2008  2009  2010  2011  2012  2013  2014  2015  2016  
14 India 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
15 Israel  1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
16 Japan  1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
17 Kazakhstan   0 
18 Korea, Republic of  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
19 Malaysia  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
20 Mexico  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
21 Moldova, Republic of  2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 
22 Morocco  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
23 Nicaragua  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
24 Norway  1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 
25 Panama  1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
26 Philippines  1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
27 Russian Federation   3 3 3 3 
28 South Africa  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
29 Switzerland  3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 
30 Chinese Taipei  1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
31 Thailand  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
32 The F ormer Yugoslav 
Republic of Macedonia  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
33 Tunisia  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
34 Ukraine      1 1 1 1 1 1 
35 United States of 
America  29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 29 
36 Venezuela, Bolivarian 
Republic of  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
37 Viet Nam  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
Total  76 76 76 78 84 87 86 91 91 91 
 
3.3  TARIFF QUOTA ADMINISTRATION AND TARIFF QUOTA FILL  
3.6.  Table 8 summarizes simple average fill rates by administration method and  year. Inactive21 
tariff quotas (identified by "AT" as the administration method in Attachment 1) have not been 
included in the calculation of fill rates. During the period 2007 -2016, tariff quotas were, on 
average, 57% filled. As previous Secretariat papers have noted , simple average fill rates should be 
understood to be broad indicators due to some  inherent weaknesses. For example, fill rates  do not 
differentiate tariff quotas on th e basis of the ir size or economic importance. Also, fill rates do not 
distinguish between low - or high -value products since the ir calculation is based on volume rather 
than value . In addition, simple average annual fill rates are influenced by the changing  number of 
applicable tariff quotas each year.  
3.7.  The notification practices of Members with regard to the reporting of imports in Table MA:2 
notifications differ in respect of tariff quotas subject to "applied tariffs" (AT). A number of Members 
simply refer to such tariff quotas in the cover note of Table MA:2 notifications indicating that those 
were not activated during the report ing period. Some other Members include "AT" tariff quotas in 
the tabular section of their Table MA:2 notification and report total  quantity of imports for the 
relevant product. A few other  Members cap the reported quantity of imports for such “AT” tariff 
quota s at the level of tariff quota commitment quantity. Attachment 1 includes import data for 
such tariff quotas when  reported in the Table MA:2 notifications of the relevant Members.     
                                                
21 Refer to Section 2.1 for additional details.  G/AG/W/183  
 
- 10 - 
 
  Table 8: Simple average fill rates by tariff quota administration method and year (%)  
ADMINISTRATION METHO D 2007  2008  2009  2010  2011  2012  2013  2014  2015  2016  Simple 
Average 
Fill Rate 
2007 -
2016  
First-Come, First -Served  50 49 53 46 45 47 43 48 50 6 44 
Licences On Demand  58 59 57 53 53 53 49 48 47 48 53 
Auctioning  63 60 58 57 64 63 61 62 59 48 59 
Historical Importers  73 70 67 68 69 76 64 62 61 56 67 
Imports Undertaken By State 
Trading Entities  60 60 57 72 71 74 60 50 50 0 55 
Producer Groups Or Associations  65 66 61 54 53 51 54 84 75 0 56 
Other  75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 
Mixed Allocation Methods  64 61 65 61 62 67 63 63 69 67 64 
Non-Specified  0 58 0 57 100 47 42 82 49 43 48 
Annual Simple Average Fill Rate 
Over All Tariff Quotas  61 60 59 57 58 59 55 55 54 51 57 
 
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 opening of the scheduled tariff quotas. According to 
the agreed notification requirements and formats (G/AG/2), Members should notify subsequent 
changes to the notified administration method in an ad hoc  manner w hen changes are made.  In 
situations where Members did not provide  new information o n administration methods, it was  
assumed that their tariff quota administration methods did not change .  
3.9.  Scheduled Tariff quotas subject to the "applied tariffs" (AT) method  are often identified and 
reported by Members in their Table MA:2 notifications.  In respect of tariff quotas in Attachment  2, 
Table MA:2 notifications from the concerned Members almost invariably report such tariff quotas 
as being subject to applied tarif fs ("AT"). However, in cases where a tariff quota is not opened in a 
particular year due to a lower applied ta riff, the obligation to open that  tariff quota in subsequent 
years may arise as soon as the tariff is raised beyond the relevant bound in -quota ta riff level. 
Concerning the administration method once the t ariff quota is reactivated, it is assumed that the 
tariff quota administration method notified prior to the reactivation of tariff quota remains valid, 
unless a change in respect of tariff quota administration is notified  through a new Table MA:1 
notification22.   
3.10.   The Secretariat regularly produces a document that summarizes the compliance by 
Members with their agriculture notification obligations . The document  includes details of the 
notification record of individual WTO Members with respect to Table MA:1 and Table MA:2 
notifications.23  
_______________  
                                                
22 Cases exist when a Table MA:2 notification has also been used to report a new or modified 
administration arr angement employed after the reactivation of a tariff quota. The MA:2 format may not 
however be equipped to accommodate complete details of import arrangement employed.  
23 See documents in the G/AG/GEN/86/ series . G/AG/W/183  
 
- 11 - 
 
  ANNEX A  
Table A.1: Principal Administration Methods – Simple Average Fill Rates1 by Member, 
2007 -2016 – (%) 
MEMBER  AU FC HI LD MX NS OT PG ST AVERAGE  
Australia      99             99 
2007   99       99 
2008   99       99 
2009   100       100 
2010   100       100 
2011   100       100 
2012   100       100 
2013   100       100 
2014   99       99 
2015   100       100 
2016           
Barbados                     
2007           
2008           
2009           
2010           
2011           
2012           
2013           
2014           
2015           
2016           
Brazil                     
2007           
2008           
2009           
2010           
2011           
2012           
2013           
2014           
2015           
2016          … 
Canada                     
2007  68 70 68 98  100  99 84 
2008  60 75 66 98  100  99 83 
2009  67 77 75 98  100  99 86 
2010  66 60 62 98  100  100 81 
2011  56 79 57 89  100  99 80 
2012  60 91 55 96  100  100 84 
2013  56 79 66 86  100  99 81 
2014  70 49 77 89  100  99 81 
2015  73 48 71 80  100  99 79 
2016   54 76 98  100  100 86 
                                                
1 Fill rates have been rounded. In some case s, '0' may have resulted from rounding.  G/AG/W/183  
 
- 12 - 
 
  MEMBER  AU FC HI LD MX NS OT PG ST AVERAGE  
Chile                    
2007    87      87 
2008    38      38 
2009    58      58 
2010    0      0 
2011    0      0 
2012    0      0 
2013    0      0 
2014    0      0 
2015    0      0 
2016           
China                     
2007    100 36     68 
2008    99 31     65 
2009    100 36     68 
2010    100 48     74 
2011    100 52     76 
2012    100 80     90 
2013    100 78     89 
2014    100 73     87 
2015           
2016           
Colombia                     
2007 100  67 100      89 
2008 85  61 100      82 
2009 100  61 100      87 
2010 77  75 100      84 
2011           
2012           
2013           
2014           
2015           
2016           
Costa Rica                     
2007     17     17 
2008     16     16 
2009     17     17 
2010     19     19 
2011     19     19 
2012     16     16 
2013     16     16 
2014     16     16 
2015     26     26 
2016     28     28 G/AG/W/183  
 
- 13 - 
 
  MEMBER  AU FC HI LD MX NS OT PG ST AVERAGE  
Dominican Republic            
2007    73      73 
2008    84      84 
2009    78      78 
2010    87      87 
2011    80      80 
2012    69      69 
2013           
2014           
2015           
2016           
Ecuador                     
2007   0       0 
2008   0       0 
2009   0       0 
2010   0       0 
2011   0       0 
2012   0       0 
2013   0       0 
2014           
2015           
2016           
El Salvador            
2007 66         66 
2008 23         23 
2009 48         48 
2010 23         23 
2011 29         29 
2012 29         29 
2013 23         23 
2014 19         19 
2015 20         20 
2016 34         34 
European Union            
2007  0 65 57      41 
2008  0 46 58      35 
2009  0 47 52      33 
2010  0 47 48      32 
2011  0 47 47      31 
2012  1 44 47      31 
2013  2 35 45      27 
2014  1 30 46      25 
2015  0 59 43      34 
2016  1 55 44      33 G/AG/W/183  
 
- 14 - 
 
  MEMBER  AU FC HI LD MX NS OT PG ST AVERAGE  
Guatemala            
2007    84      84 
2008    98      98 
2009    100      100 
2010    89      89 
2011    66      66 
2012    100 0     50 
2013    100 0     50 
2014    100      100 
2015    100      100 
2016           
Iceland            
2007 81         81 
2008 77         77 
2009 80         80 
2010 78         78 
2011 77         77 
2012 77         77 
2013 81         81 
2014 77         77 
2015 76         76 
2016           
India            
2007         0 0 
2008         0 0 
2009         11 11 
2010           
2011           
2012           
2013           
2014           
2015           
2016           
Indonesia            
2007           
2008           
2009           
2010           
2011           
2012           
2013           
2014           
2015           
2016           G/AG/W/183  
 
- 15 - 
 
  MEMBER  AU FC HI LD MX NS OT PG ST AVERAGE  
Israel            
2007   100 100 100  100   100 
2008   100 100 100  100   100 
2009   100 100 100  100   100 
2010   100 100 100  100   100 
2011   100 100 100  100   100 
2012   100 100 100  100   100 
2013   100 86 100  100   97 
2014   100 93 100  100   98 
2015   100 98 100  100   99 
2016   100 100 100  100   100 
Japan            
2007 94   53      49 
2008 95   58      51 
2009 97   55      51 
2010 97   54      50 
2011 99   56      52 
2012 99   58      52 
2013 98   56      51 
2014 97   56      51 
2015 92   56      49 
2016 80   56      45 
Kazakhstan            
2016   59  10     35 
Korea, Republic of            
2007 47  84 45 74   32 93 63 
2008 39  83 42 66   33 93 59 
2009 16  80 44 71   29 83 54 
2010 18  79 39 81   12 94 54 
2011 78  84 42 71   0 94 62 
2012 65  86 50 86   0 98 64 
2013 34  76 38 72   0    76 49 
2014 59  87 34 61    100 68 
2015 58  83 40 79    100 72 
2016           
Malaysia            
2007           
2008    37      37 
2009    46      46 
2010    47      47 
2011    54      54 
2012    41      41 
2013    34      34 
2014    30      30 
2015    23      23 
2016    19      19 G/AG/W/183  
 
- 16 - 
 
  MEMBER  AU FC HI LD MX NS OT PG ST AVERAGE  
Mexico            
2007   100       100 
2008   100       100 
2009   100       100 
2010   100       100 
2011   100       100 
2012   100       100 
2013   100       100 
2014   100       100 
2015   100       100 
2016   100       100 
Moldova, Republic of            
2007           
2008           
2009    100      100 
2010    67      67 
2011    67      67 
2012    100      100 
2013    69      69 
2014    67      67 
2015    100      100 
2016    100      100 
Morocco            
2007  74        74 
2008  61        61 
2009  73        73 
2010  62        62 
2011  52        52 
2012  58        58 
2013           
2014           
2015           
2016           
New Zealand            
2007           
2008           
2009           
2010           
2011           
2012           
2013           
2014           
2015           
2016           G/AG/W/183  
 
- 17 - 
 
  MEMBER  AU FC HI LD MX NS OT PG ST AVERAGE  
Nicaragua            
2007     91     91 
2008     66     66 
2009     78     78 
2010     87     87 
2011     81     81 
2012     85     85 
2013     84     84 
2014     78     78 
2015     80     80 
2016     78     78 
Norway            
2007 49  95 14  0    40 
2008 53  96 17  58    56 
2009 46  85 14  37    45 
2010 41  94 23  57    54 
2011 57  94 20  100    68 
2012 56  89 40  95    70 
2013 53  96 60  84    73 
2014 49  98 100  82    82 
2015 47  98 20  48    53 
2016 55  85 23  43    52 
Panama            
2007 56         56 
2008 52         52 
2009 50         50 
2010 53         53 
2011 53         53 
2012 55         55 
2013 49         49 
2014 54         54 
2015 49         49 
2016 35         35 
Philippines            
2007   57      100 79 
2008   57      100 79 
2009   43      100 72 
2010   47      100 74 
2011   52      100 76 
2012   59      100 80 
2013   29      100 65 
2014   31      100 66 
2015   31      100 66 
2016           G/AG/W/183  
 
- 18 - 
 
  MEMBER  AU FC HI LD MX NS OT PG ST AVERAGE  
South Africa            
2007   94 61      78 
2008   93 61      77 
2009   92 66      79 
2010   89 54      72 
2011   91 40      66 
2012   82 47      65 
2013   79 41      60 
2014   65 41      53 
2015   67 43      55 
2016           
Switzerland            
2007 99  100 87 93     95 
2008 100  100 89 98     97 
2009 100  100 87 99     97 
2010 93  100 87 98     95 
2011 77  100 88 97     91 
2012 79  100 84 91     89 
2013 80  100 82 100     91 
2014 82  100 85 95     91 
2015 76  100 84 94     89 
2016 75  100 83 98     89 
Chinese Taipei            
2007 43    68     56 
2008 42    68     55 
2009 35    73     54 
2010 40    50     45 
2011 47    68     58 
2012 46    62     54 
2013 44    63     54 
2014 49    72     61 
2015 41    64     53 
2016 38    63     51 
Thailand            
2007    33    85 2 40 
2008    43    85 2 43 
2009    35    80 2 39 
2010    33    79 1 38 
2011    45    85 1 44 
2012    38    80 0 39 
2013    35    86 0 40 
2014    40    84 0 41 
2015    36    75 0 37 
2016           G/AG/W/183  
 
- 19 - 
 
  MEMBER  AU FC HI LD MX NS OT PG ST AVERAGE  
The former Yugoslav 
Republic of Macedonia            
2007  13        13 
2008  45        45 
2009  34        34 
2010  27        27 
2011  26        26 
2012  62        62 
2013  16        16 
2014  30        30 
2015  28        28 
2016  17        17 
Tunisia            
2007   65       65 
2008   56       56 
2009   59       59 
2010   61       61 
2011   46       46 
2012   76       76 
2013   65       65 
2014   61       61 
2015   59       59 
2016   48       48 
Ukraine            
2009    54      54 
2010    89      89 
2011    99      99 
2012    0      0 
2013    0      0 
2014    0      0 
2015    0      0 
2016    0      0 
United States of America            
2007  46   68     57 
2008  48   56     52 
2009  50   64     57 
2010  43   47     45 
2011  45   49     47 
2012  46   56     51 
2013  45   42     44 
2014  49   55     52 
2015  51   64     58 
2016           G/AG/W/183  
 
- 20 - 
 
  MEMBER  AU FC HI LD MX NS OT PG ST AVERAGE  
Venezuela,  Bolivarian 
Republic of            
2007     60     60 
2008     61     61 
2009           
2010           
2011           
2012           
2013     100     100 
2014           
2015           
2016           
Viet Nam            
2007           
2008           
2009           
2010    47      47 
2011    100      100 
2012    100      100 
2013    100      100 
2014    100      100 
2015    100      100 
2016           G/AG/W/183  
 
- 21 - 
 
  ANNEX B  
TECHNICAL  NOTES  
MEMBER  TQID  NOTE  
Brazil  BRAQ002  Tariff quota not opened. Technical rectification sought –
(G/SECRET/7 & Add.1)  
Canada  CANQ005  Imports of fluid milk by consumers are not counted. By virtue of 
General Import Permit #1, which regulates the importation of 
dairy products for personal use, any resident of Canada may 
import fluid milk. The General Import Permit may be invoked an 
unlimit ed number of times  
CANQ022  Introduced in accordance with WT/LET/819 – New schedule 
effective as of 6 July 2011  
  Table MA:2 notification for 2016 is partial . Only tariff quotas 
implemented on a calendar year basis are reported for 2016  
China  CHNQ003, CHNQ004  Import data for CHNQ003 is reported under CHNQ004  
CHNQ005, 006, 007  Tariff quotas were eliminated in accordance with the Schedule 
CLII on 1 January 2006  
Colombia  COLQ001, COLQ058  Import data for COLQ001  is reported under C OLQ058  
COLQ003, COLQ059  Import data for COLQ003  is reported under C OLQ059  
COLQ004, COLQ060  Import data for COLQ004  is reported under C OLQ060  
COLQ012 , COLQ061  Import data for COLQ012  is reported under C OLQ061  
COLQ015 ,COLQ062  Import data for COLQ015  is reported under C OLQ062  
COLQ016 ,COLQ063  Import data for COLQ016  is reported under C OLQ063  
COLQ017 ,COLQ064  Import data for COLQ017  is reported under C OLQ064  
COLQ028 ,COLQ065  Import data for COLQ028  is reported under C OLQ065  
COLQ045 ,COLQ066  Import data for COLQ045  is reported under C OLQ066  
COLQ057 ,COLQ067  Import data for COLQ057  is reported under C OLQ067  
European Union  All For a number of tariff quotas, the import data reflect authorized 
imports rather than effective imports. Please see the 
notifications for further details  
EECQ067  Not reported in Table MA:2 notifications for the covered period 
(2007 -2016)  
EECQ001 -113 In accordance with WT/LET/1220 – New EU-25 (CLXXIII)  
schedule effective as of 1 December 2016  
EECQ114 -125 New tariff quotas resulted from EU expansion as reported in 
EU's Table MA:1 and MA:2 notifications  
EECQ111 -112 Imports data for EECQ112 reported under EECQ111 . Two tariff 
quotas are managed together  
Iceland  ISLQ057 , 083 Import data for ISLQ057 is reported under I SLQ083  
ISLQ0 85,086 Import data for ISL Q086 is reported under ISLQ085  G/AG/W/183  
 
- 22 - 
 
  MEMBER  TQID  NOTE  
Japan  JPNQ002, 004, 008  The tariff quota quantities opened (2012 onwards) and actual 
in-quota imports do not include quantities available in the Hozei  
area (area where collection of customs duties on imports  is 
temporarily reserved),  as described in the Notes to Section I -B 
of Part I of the Schedule  
JPNQ003, 005  The tariff quota system is not applied , as these products can be 
imported in the Hozei are a (where the collection of customs 
duties is temporarily reserved), provided they are used for 
consumption in the cruise of international maritime vessels and 
international airlines as described in the Notes to Section I -B of 
Part I of Japan's Schedule. Im port statistics for products subject 
to the Hozei area system are not available  
Malaysia  MYSQ008, 009, 010  Import data of MYSQ008 and MYSQ009 are reported together 
under MYSQ010  
Morocco  MARQ011, 013, 014  Scheduled tariff quota quantities are zero  
MARQ017, 018, 019  Import data of MARQ017 and MARQ018 are reported together 
under MARQ019  
Norway  NORQ091, 092, 093  During 2007 -2015, import data of NORQ091 and NORQ092 are 
reported together under NORQ093 . 
Panama  PANQ016  Tariff q uota was eliminated through  GATT Art XXVIII process 
in 2013 (refer to WT/LET/891) . 
Russian Federation  RUSQ003, 004  Import data of RUSQ004 is reported under RUSQ003 . 
Tariff quotas shall be eliminated on 1 January 2020. Upon 
elimination of TRQs, a flat bound rate of 25% shall apply  
RUSQ005, 006,007  In the case of elimination of the TRQs, a flat bound rate of 
37.5% shall apply  
RUSQ008  Scheduled quota quantity is zero. In the case of elimination of 
the tariff rate quota, a flat bound rate of 37.5% shall apply  
Switzerland  CHEQ023, 024, 025  Import data of CHEQ023, CHEQ024 and CHEQ025 is reported 
together.  
Chinese Taipei  CHTQ001, 002, 003, 
004 Tariff q uotas were phased out in accordance with the 
Schedule  CLIII on 1 January 2005  
CHTQ019  Tariff q uota was phased out in accordance with  the Schedule 
CLIII from 2008  
CHTQ021  Quota has been phased out since 7 February 2005  
United States of 
America  USAQ003, 005, 007, 
011, 015, 027, 029, 
031-032, 048  Tariff quotas reserved for Mexico under NAFTA; Table MA:2 
notific ations for the period covered by  the paper (2007 -2016) 
do not include these tariff quotas . 
Venezuela, 
Bolivarian Rep. of   Latest Table MA:2 notification for 2013 is partial 
(AGIMS  ID75033) ; it includes in -quota imports of only Cane 
sugar ( VENQ051) . 
VENQ028  Scheduled tariff quota quantity  is zero 
 
 
 
_______________  
 
 G/AG/W/183  
 
- 23 - 
 
  ATTACHMENT 1  
ADMINISTRAT ION METHODS, FILL RA TES, NOTIFIED QUANTI TIES 
AND IMPORTS (2007 -2016) 
Attachment 1 includes the data on in -quota imports, administration methods , including 
country -specific allocations where relevant , and fill  rates disaggregated at the tariff quota level  by 
Member and year. The information has been sourced principally from Members' Table MA:1 and 
MA:2 notifications. T he data elements contained in the A ttachment  are as follows:  
 
COLUMN HEADING  DESCRIPTION OF DATA ELEMENT  
Member  Member having a tariff quota  commitment specified in its WTO Schedule . 
Implementation Year  Implementation year/Reporting year as notified by the Member concerned .  
TQ ID  Seven -character tariff quota identifier code is comprised of the three -letter 
WTO Member code, followed by "Q" for "quota", followed by the three -digit number 
representing the sequential order in which the tariff quota is listed in the relevant 
schedule . 
Description of products 
(CTS)  Description of the tariff quota, as specifi ed in the Member's WTO Schedule . 
Admin method  A code indicating the principal administration method in the relevant 
implementation year (for the code descriptions see Table 2  of this paper) . 
ADC A code indicating any additional condition in the relevant implementation year (for 
the code descriptions see Table 3  of this paper). Blank means no additional 
condition listed in Table 3 applies.  
CSQ allocation  This column indicates whether the tariff qu ota concerned has country -specific 
allocation arrangements for the relevant implementation year  (information sourced 
from Members’ Table MA:1 and MA:2 notifications).  
Fill rate  Tariff quota fill rates (in %) are listed for each of the implementation year s, 
2007-2016. The fill rates are adjusted for cases where notified imports are greater 
than tariff quota quantities by setting a ma ximum of 100% tariff quota fill . 
Unit Units for each tariff quota as notified  by relevant WTO Member . 
Final Quantity  The sc heduled tariff quota quantity for the relevant implementation year. (In the 
case of the European Union, the tariff quota quantity for a number of tariff quotas 
is based on EU's Table MA:2 notifications) . 
In-quota imports 
during period  In-quota imports as notified by relevant WTO Members for the relevant 
implementation year s. 
 G/AG/W/183  
 
- 24 - 
 
  ATTACHMENT 2  
SCHEDULED TARIFF  QUOTAS  WITH NO TARIFF ADVAN TAGE  
This A ttachment lists all scheduled tariff quotas where the bound in -quota tariff equals or exceeds 
the corresponding bound out -of-quota tariff  in respect of all tariff lines covered by the tariff quota 
in question . The list does not include tariff quotas already phased out before 2007  nor those with 
zero tariff quota quantity levels. The  data have been sourced from the Consolidated Tariff 
Schedules (CTS) database . The data elements contained in the A ttachment  are as follows:  
 
COLUMN HEADING  DESCRIPTION OF DATA ELEMENT  
Member  Member having a tariff quota commitment specified in its WTO Schedule . 
HS Different version s of the Harmonized System  
2=HS96, 3=HS02, 4=HS07, 5=HS12  
TQID Seven -character t ariff quota identifier from the CTS database , comprised of the 
three -letter WTO Member code, followed by "Q" for "quota", followed by the three -
digit number representing the sequential order in which the tariff quota is listed in 
the relevant schedule . 
TQ Description  Description of the tariff quota, as specified in the Member's WTO Schedule . 
TQ_TL  Tariff line in the Harmonized System nomenclature (HS), covered by the tariff 
quota in question . 
In-Quota Duty  Final bound in -quota duty  (in percentage except where specified).  
TL HS tariff line in the Tariff Concession  Table which matches the TQ_TL above.  
MFN Duty  Final bound MFN (out -of-quota) duty  (in percentage except where specified).  
SSG Flag indicating that the Member has reserved the right to invoke the provisions of 
Article  5 of the Agreement on Agriculture with respect to the tariff line concerned. 
Values are  "SSG" (English); "SGS" (French) ; "SGE" (Spanish) . 
 
Two Excel files in Attachments 1 and 2  are available in electronic format (Microsoft Excel) from 
Documents On -line. 
 
__________  
                                                
 In original language only.