China sets quotas, slaps extra tariffs on beef imports
China will impose an additional 55 percent customs duty on beef imports from countries such as Australia, Brazil and the USA if shipments exceed certain quotas.
The move deals a major blow to key global suppliers as China’s domestic industry grapples with a supply glut.
The total quota for 2026 is 2.7 million tonnes, with Brazil allocating the highest share at 41.1 percent, followed by Argentina at 19 percent and Uruguay at 12.1 percent, China’s commerce ministry said on Wednesday.
The Ministry allocated a quota of 205,000 tons to Australia and 164,000 tons to the USA.
In 2024, China imported 1.34 million tonnes of beef from Brazil, 594,567 tonnes from Argentina, 216,050 tonnes from Australia, 243,662 tonnes from Uruguay, 150,514 tonnes from New Zealand and 138,112 tonnes from the United States.
China’s measures will come into force on January 1 for three years, and the total quota will increase every year, reaching 2.8 million tons in 2028.
China made the announcement after two extensions of its investigation into beef imports, which began last December and which officials said did not target any particular country.
Last week, China’s beef industry associations pressured the government to impose emergency conservation measures by the end of the year to stabilize market prospects and livelihoods of domestic breeders, state media Global Times reported.
China’s cattle breeding industry has suffered heavy losses since 2023 due to various factors, including imports, causing many breeders to slaughter breeding cattle to reduce expenses, an industry official said, quoted by the Global Times.
China imported a record 2.87 million tonnes of beef last year. In the January-November period, imports decreased by 0.3% annually to 2.59 million tons.
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