Tunisia’s Olive Oil Licenses to the UK Jump 225% — Two-Thirds of the Quota Still Open

British import licences for Tunisian olive oil have more than tripled in 2026, reaching about 2,446 tonnes between January and September compared with 753 tonnes over the same period last year, a 225% jump — yet 68% of the United Kingdom’s duty-free quota for Tunisian oil remains unused this year.

The figures, published by Tunisian outlet Webdo on September 3, 2026 and drawn from official UK Rural Payments Agency tariff-quota data, show a market that is accelerating but still far from saturated. Of the 7,723-tonne annual quota the UK grants Tunisian olive oil for 2026, only around 2,446 tonnes had been licensed by early September, leaving roughly 5,277 tonnes of zero-duty import capacity still on the table.

How the UK’s Tunisian Olive Oil Quota Works

The quota operates under Statutory Instrument 2020 No. 1432 and is managed by the Rural Payments Agency, which opens periodic application windows throughout the year. The most recent window, announced on August 26, 2026, closed to new applications on September 7 at 5pm. Importers must be established and VAT-registered in the UK and must post a security deposit of £170 per tonne to apply. Because the scheme is administered in tranches rather than a single annual release, unused capacity from earlier in the year continues to roll into later windows, which is part of why such a large share of the 2026 quota is still open this late in the season.

Record Tunisian Exports Meet Rising British Demand

The UK trend sits against the backdrop of an exceptional season for Tunisian olive oil overall. Tunisia’s exports reached 368,000 tonnes in the first nine months of the 2025/26 campaign, up 55.3% year-on-year, with the European Union absorbing 57.1% of volumes — led by Spain at 32.1% and Italy at 20% — and North America taking 24%, according to Tunisia’s National Observatory of Agriculture (ONAGRI). The UK, while a smaller destination than these markets, is one of the fastest-growing, and the scale of unused quota suggests there is meaningfully more room for British buyers and importers to bring in Tunisian oil this year without paying duty. For buyers working with Tunisian Olive Oil Trade’s network of suppliers, this is a practical signal: securing a UK import license and locking in supply now, well ahead of the 2027 quota reset, can mean the difference between paying the standard tariff and importing duty-free.

FAQ

How much Tunisian olive oil can the UK import duty-free in 2026? The UK’s 2026 tariff-rate quota allows up to 7,723 tonnes of Tunisian olive oil to enter free of duty; as of early September 2026, only about 2,446 tonnes had been licensed, leaving roughly 5,277 tonnes of quota still available for the rest of the year.

Why have UK import licenses for Tunisian olive oil jumped so much in 2026? Licenses issued by the UK’s Rural Payments Agency rose from 753 tonnes in the first nine months of 2025 to 2,446 tonnes over the same period in 2026, a 225% increase, reflecting stronger British importer interest following Tunisia’s record 2025/26 export campaign.

Source: Webdo.tn, citing UK Rural Payments Agency tariff quota data and Tunisia’s National Observatory of Agriculture (ONAGRI).