Switching animal feed sourcing from Brazil to Canada

A animal feed importer's margin increasingly turns on a single field on the entry: country of origin. Goods from Brazil clear at an effective 39%, while Canada clears the same category at 11.5% — about $29,013 a year at $100,000 of imports. The duty line moves with paperwork, not production cost, which is why it rewards attention. The breakdown below itemises both duty stacks so the figure is auditable, not asserted.

How the tariff stacks compare

Here is how US Customs builds the bill for each origin. Sourced from Brazil, the goods face a 1.5% Most-Favoured-Nation base duty, a 25% Section 301 surcharge, and a 12.5% forced-labor Section 301 duty on its animal feed, an effective 39% once the $49.74 in processing fees are added. From Canada, the entry is assessed a 1.5% Most-Favoured-Nation base duty and a 10% forced-labor Section 301 duty on its animal feed, an effective 11.5% once the $49.74 in processing fees are added. The decisive layer is Section 301: a 25% surcharge that applies only to Brazil-origin goods and sits on top of every other duty, which is why Brazil routes run expensive across so many categories. Processing and harbor fees apply identically whichever country ships the goods ($49.74 here), confirming the saving is pure duty, not fee. That leaves a $2,901.25 gap on every $10,000 of goods, driven entirely by the 27.5% spread in effective duty rate. Multiply across your volume and it is near $7,253 for $25,000 and about $29,013 for $100,000 a year. Per $25,000 order, $7,253 separates the two origins — small per shipment, compounding fast across a program.

Trade context

Within HTS 2301, 2302, 2303, 2304, 2305, 2306, 2307, 2308, 2309, animal feed includes Soybean meal, Fishmeal, Corn gluten feed, Pet food, Poultry feed, and Livestock feed supplements. Demand for animal feed is broad and price-sensitive, which is exactly why a duty wedge of this size reshapes who can supply the US market competitively. Animal feed tariffs are very low; Section 122 lapsed to 0% on July 24, 2026, and while it was active it carried an agricultural exemption. Feed costs are primarily driven by commodity prices and are critical to US livestock industry competitiveness. Brazil (South America) sends the United States largely steel iron products, crude oil petroleum, and fresh produce. With no preferential deal in force, Brazil animal feed faces the standard rates plus any applicable surcharge. Canada, in North America, ships the US mainly crude oil petroleum, passenger vehicles, and lumber wood products. Canada's USMCA membership can zero out duties on qualifying animal feed (USMCA 0%, except Section 338 annex goods), which is why it so often undercuts non-agreement origins. Different regions — South America versus North America — mean shipping economics deserve a look beside the tariff math. For a buyer committed to Brazil, Canada is a concrete diversification target whose tariff math is settled and whose remaining diligence is commercial. With the US running its highest average tariff in decades, concentrated exposure to one high-duty origin is now a measurable annual cost rather than an abstract risk.

Recommendation

Where Canada is a viable supplier, expect roughly $29,013 at $100,000, rising to about $72,531 at $250,000 and $290,125 at $1,000,000 as volume grows. These are engine-computed stacks, not estimates: identical inputs on both sides except country of origin, so the gap is purely a duty result. These figures reflect tariff and fee savings only, assuming equal product cost — your actual landed cost also depends on price and freight, which vary by supplier. If any price premium from Canada is smaller than the duty saving, the switch still wins on net landed cost. Before acting, confirm the Canada supplier classifies under the same HTS heading, can meet your volume and certifications, and faces no product-specific exclusion or quota that shifts the duty. Lock the comparison to a quote date; a surcharge added or lifted can change the ranking between negotiation and purchase order. Open the Tariff Savings Finder to rank every feasible origin for your specific volume.