Entities representing the agribusiness sectors assess that China’s decision to impose additional tariffs of 55% on beef, in the case of exceeding an import quota, changes the conditions of access to the Asian giant’s market.
In a note signed by the CNA (Brazilian Agriculture and Livestock Confederation) and Abiec (Brazilian Association of Meat Exporting Industries), the sector argues that .
“Abiec and CNA understand that the application of safeguard measures by China, in the context of the investigation conducted into beef imports, changes the conditions of access to its market and imposes a reorganization of production and export flows”, says the note.
The organizations state that adjustments will be necessary throughout the entire chain, from production to exports, to avoid broader impacts on the sector.
“Abiec and CNA will continue to monitor the implementation of the measures, working directly with the Brazilian Government and the Chinese authorities to reduce
damage that this surcharge will cause to Brazilian livestock farmers and exporters and to preserve the commercial flow historically practiced”, they conclude.
Abrafrigo (Brazilian Association of Refrigerators) stated that it views the measure with great “concern”. According to the entity, the new tariff represents a material and immediate risk to the performance of Brazilian exports.
with the aim of stabilizing market expectations and protecting the income of local producers.
Since 2023, the Chinese livestock sector has been accumulating losses due to a combination of factors, including increased imports. This scenario led many breeders to anticipate the slaughter of breeding animals as a way to reduce costs.
In the case of Brazil, the additional tariffs will only be applied if Chinese imports of Brazilian beef exceed the quota of 1.106 million tons in 2026.
Government strategy
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“We will do this negotiation with China itself. We will propose to them, due to the good relationship we have, that if any country is not going to fulfill its quota, it should be transferred to Brazil, which is ready to comply and guarantees the arrival of quality meat, competitive prices and no excess tariffs”, he declared.
“Brazil is ready to respond, we will negotiate with China during 2026, in addition to other details of this negotiation that are permanent and constant”, added the minister, who cited the United States as an example of a country that did not export the product to the Chinese.
Fávaro said that the federal government was aware of the announcement of safeguard measures for Chinese producers, due to the excess supply of beef in China.
The minister explained that a calculation was made by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce of imports from June 2024 to June 2021, with the aim of evaluating the countries that exported the most beef in this period and, thus, defining the quota.
“Brazil was left with a quota of 1,106 million tons, which corresponds to 44% of the volume to be imported to China at current regular tariffs. That’s more or less what Brazil is exporting today,” he stated.
According to Fávaro, the impacts of the tariff on Brazil are not considerable.
“In general, it’s not something to worry about. Brazil is relatively prepared for commercial adverse events. We’re going to start a negotiation phase. The implementation of this, in fact, is from January 1, 2026, and we’re going to be discussing whether what’s worth counting the quota is what counts from tomorrow, or what already gets there… small details”, he concluded.
With information from Fabrício Julião
