Brazil beef trade hit by China quota limits
Brazil’s beef exports are expected to fall by around 10% in 2026 compared with the previous year due to a 55% tariff imposed by China on imports exceeding quota levels, Reuters reported, citing Roberto Perosa, president of industry lobby group ABIEC.
Perosa said beef production destined for China is expected to halt around June, with domestic consumption needing to absorb volumes that can no longer be shipped to the Asian market.
China, Brazil’s largest trading partner and the main destination for its beef exports, introduced the tariff this year in a move to protect its domestic cattle industry. The annual quota for Brazilian beef imports stands at 1.1 million metric tons, compared with 1.7 million tons shipped to China last year, according to ABIEC data.
The quota is already close to being filled as exporters accelerated shipments ahead of the higher tariffs, including volumes sent late in 2025 that entered China in early 2026.
“There is no market that can replace China,” Perosa said, though he noted hopes for potential access to Japan as a partial offset to declining shipments.
ABIEC, which represents major Brazilian meatpackers including JBS, MBRF and Minerva, previously expected more stable export performance based on alternative markets and trade diversification.
