SD Guthrie Delivers First Tariff-Free Palm Oil Shipment Under CPTPP To UK

KUALA LUMPUR, May 2 (Bernama) -- SD Guthrie Bhd delivered its first-ever tariff-free shipment of Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)-certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO) to the United Kingdom (UK) under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

In a statement today, the company announced that its SD Guthrie International Liverpool Refinery received 8,000 tonnes of fully traceable and segregated CSPO. The cargo was shipped aboard the Dolphin 19 from Kunak Port, Sabah on Feb 19.

The CSPO had also undergone stringent testing to ensure low levels of mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons and mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons, it added.

“The CPTPP is a free trade agreement initially signed in 2018 by 11 Pacific Rim countries, including Malaysia. The agreement removes most tariffs while promoting economic integration and maintaining strong labour and environmental protections among its member states.

“With the UK's official membership in the CPTPP taking effect on Dec 15, 2024, tariffs on crude palm oil and its derivatives imported from Malaysia into the UK have been eliminated. Previously, these tariffs ranged from two per cent to 10 per cent,” it said in a statement today.

SD Guthrie group managing director Datuk Mohamad Helmy Othman Basha said the shipment highlighted not only the strength of the Malaysia–UK trade relations but also the company’s strong commitment to ensure quality, traceability and security of sustainable palm oil supply to customers in the UK.

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For over a decade, SD Guthrie’s Liverpool refinery has been the company’s gateway for CSPO to enter the UK market, supplying approximately 50 per cent to 55 per cent of domestic palm oil demand. 

Its refined products are widely used for deep-frying in fish-and-chip shops across the country and as key ingredients in the production of many popular brands of biscuits, baked goods and British confectionery favourites. 

“While our supply chain in Papua New Guinea (PNG) has been and remains the main source of our products for the UK market, this latest shipment originating from our supply chain in Sabah underscores our capability to provide consistent and stable supply of CSPO to the UK, while maintaining the highest standards of quality, sustainability and food safety. 

“Depending on market conditions and customer requirements, we can offer customers the security of supply they need to run their businesses, from Malaysia or PNG,” he added.

-- BERNAMA