China has temporarily suspended beef imports from three Brazilian factories, the Brazilian government announced today, ensuring that the decision will not affect bilateral trade relations.
China's General Administration of Customs carried out a series of "video audits" at the affected units and found that they did not meet all the import requirements established by the Asian country, Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock explained in a statement.
The companies, whose names were not disclosed by the ministry, have already been notified and are "taking corrective measures" to meet the Chinese agency's requirements, according to the Brazilian government.
China is the main destination for Brazilian beef exports and the South American country's largest trading partner.
Brazil's Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Carlos Fávaro, denied in the same statement that the three suspended factories could have repercussions on the close commercial relationship between the two countries.
"Today, Brazil has 126 authorized plants. When we took over [the government, in January 2023], we had 12 suspended plants. We resumed these 12 and opened another 43, out of 55 of this total of 126," he added.
The Secretary of Agricultural Defense, Carlos Goulart, said that they will continue talking with private exporters and Chinese authorities to "resolve the issues raised and resume exports from these units."
Brazil, one of the world's largest suppliers of animal protein, ended 2024 with a record production of 31.57 million tons of beef, pork and chicken, in addition to record exports of 10.26 million tons, according to official data.
Since 2009, China has been Brazil's main trading partner, with bilateral trade rising from nine billion dollars (8.3 billion euros) in 2004 to 157.5 billion (144 billion euros) in 2023. Brazil plays, in particular, an important role in China's food security, accounting for more than 20% of the Asian country's agricultural and livestock imports.
The world's second-largest economy feeds nearly 19% of humanity on just 8.5% of the planet's arable land. In comparison, the Latin American country has almost 7% of the world's arable land for 2.7% of the world's population.
