§ Annette BrookeTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and industry (1) what customs classifications apply to animal furs being imported into the country; and if she will make a statement; [105357]
(2) how many fur pelts have been imported under the customs classification of other fur since January 2000; and if she will make a statement. [105356]
§ Ms HewittThe commodity headings used, since 2000, for classifying animal furs being imported into the United Kingdom are given in the table. The classification is based on the Harmonised Commodity Description and Coding System, which incorporates the Combined Nomenclature of the European Communities. Within the UK, responsibility for the classification lies primarily with HM Customs and Excise.
791W
Commodity Description Note 43011000 Raw furskins of mink, whole, with or without head, tail or paws 43012000 Raw furskins of rabbit or hare, whole, with or without head, tail or paws (a) 43013000 Raw furskins of lamb, the following: Astrakhan, Broadtail, Caracul, Persian and similar lambs, Indian, Chinese, Mongolian or Tibetan lambs, whole, with or without head, tail or paws 43014000 Raw furskins of beaver, whole, with or without head, tail or paws (a) 43015000 Raw furskins of muskrat, whole, with or without head, tail or paws (a) 43016000 Raw furskins of fox, whole, with or without head, tail or paws 43017010 Raw furskins of whitecoat pups of harp seal and of pups of hooded seal (blue-backs), whole, with or without head, tail or paws 43017090 Raw furskins of other seal, whole, with or without head, tail or paws 43018010 Raw furskins of sea otter or of nutria (coypu), whole, with or without head, tail or paws 43018030 Raw furskins of marmot, whole, with or without head, tail or paws 43018050 Raw furskins of wild felines, whole, with or without head, tail or paws 43018090 Other raw furskins, whole, with or without head, tail or paws (a) 43018095 Other raw furskins (including rabbit, hare, beaver or muskrat), whole, with or without head, tail or paws (b) 43019000 Raw heads, tails, paws and other pieces or cuttings, suitable for furriers' use 43021100 Tanned or dressed furskins of mink, whole, with or without head, tail or paws 43021200 Tanned or dressed furskins of rabbit or hare, whole, with or without head, tail or paws (c) 43021935 Tanned or dressed furskins of rabbit or hare, whole, with or without head, tail or paws (d) 43021300 Tanned or dressed furskins of lamb, the following: Astrakhan, Broadtail, Caracul, Persian and similar lambs, Indian, Chinese, Mongolian or Tibetan lambs, whole, with or without head, tail or paws 43021910 Tanned or dressed furskins of beaver, whole, with or without head, tail or paws 43021920 Tanned or dressed furskins of muskrat, whole, with or without head, tail or paws 43021930 Tanned or dressed furskins of fox, whole, with or without head, tail or paws 43021941 Tanned or dressed furskins of whitecoat pups of harp seal and of pups of hooded seal (blue-backs), whole, with or without head, tail or paws 43021949 Tanned or dressed furskins of other seal, whole, with or without head, tail or paws 43021950 Tanned or dressed furskins of sea otter or of nutria (coypu), whole, with or without head, tail or paws 43021960 Tanned or dressed furskins of marmot, whole, with or without head, tail or paws 43021970 Tanned or dressed furskins of wild felines, whole, with or without head, tail or paws 43021980 Tanned or dressed furskins of sheep or lambs, whole, with or without head, tail or paws 43021995 Other tanned or dressed furskins, whole, with or without head, tail or paws 43022000 Tanned or dressed heads, tails, paws and other pieces or cuttings, suitable for furriers' use 43023010 "Dropped" furskins 43023021 Whole furskins and pieces or cuttings thereof, assembled other than "dropped", of mink 43023025 Whole furskins and pieces or cuttings thereof, assembled other than "dropped", of rabbit or hare 43023031 Whole furskins and pieces or cuttings thereof, assembled other than "dropped", of lamb, the following: Astrakhan, Broadtail, Caracul, Persian and similar lambs, Indian, Chinese, Mongolian or Tibetan lambs 43023035 Whole furskins and pieces or cuttings thereof, assembled other than "dropped", of beaver 43023041 Whole furskins and pieces or cuttings thereof, assembled other than "dropped", of muskrat 43023045 Whole furskins and pieces or cuttings thereof, assembled other than "dropped", of fox 43023051 Whole furskins and pieces or cuttings thereof, assembled other than "dropped", of whitecoat pups of harp seal and of pups of hooded seal (blue-backs) 43023055 Whole furskins and pieces or cuttings thereof, assembled other than "dropped", of other seal 43023061 Whole furskins and pieces or cuttings thereof, assembled other than "dropped", of sea-otter or nutria (coypu) 43023065 Whole furskins and pieces or cuttings thereof, assembled other than "dropped", of marmot 43023071 Whole furskins and pieces or cuttings thereof, assembled other than "dropped", of wild felines 43023075 Other whole furskins and pieces or cuttings thereof, assembled other than "dropped" Notes:
From 2002, the four codes indicated by (a) were replaced by the one code indicated by (b). Changes such as these are negotiated as part of the continuing process of international harmonisation of customs codes negotiated at the World Customs Organisation and at EU level in the General Rules Committee. Also from 2002, the code indicated by (c) was replaced by the code indicated by (d).
UK imports of fur classified under "other" categories, since January 2000, in metric tonnes, are given in the table. In 2002 imports of furs classified as "other" were
Commodity code Description 2000 2001 2002 January 2003 43018090 Other raw furskins, whole, with or without head, tail or paws 9.5 859.0 (e) (e) 43018095 Other raw furskins, whole, with or without head, tail or paws (e) (e) 27.4 2.4 43021995 Other tanned or dressed furskins, whole, with or without head, tail or paws 129.2 66.6 60.6 3.2 43022000 Tanned or dressed heads, tails, paws and other pieces or cuttings, suitable for furriers' use 3.3 1.5 1.1 0.0 43023075 Other whole furskins and pieces or cuttings thereof, assembled other than "dropped" 24.0 24.8 20.1 0.4 (e) Until 2001, raw furskins of rabbit or hare, beaver and muskrat were separately identified. Since 2002 any imports of these products would have been included under code 43018095 as explained in notes concerning commodity codes (a) and (b) in the previous table.
792Wa third lower than in 2000 and nearly 90 per cent. lower than in 2001, despite including some additional products, as described under note (e) to the table.