Brazil beef exports set for first monthly drop since January 2025
China quota exhaustion drives 10% decline in July volumes
21 July 2026
1 minute read
By: Brazilian exports of fresh beef are on track to register their first year-on-year monthly decline since January 2025 in July, Reuters reported, citing government data on Monday.
The potential monthly drop in exports from Brazil, the world's largest beef producer and exporter, comes as a lower-tariff quota to its main market China was met by the end of June, according to a local industry group.
Brazilian monthly beef exports totalled an average daily volume of 10,799 metric tons through the third week of July, down 10.3% from the whole month of July last year.
If the pace is kept, Brazil's beef exports in July would reach around 248,000 tons, compared to some 276,900 tons seen in the same month of 2025.
Brazil exported a record 1.8 million tons of beef in the first half of the year, meat processing lobby Abrafrigo said, with China accounting for some 775,000 tons.
However, China's lower-tariff import quota for Brazil's beef this year, estimated at some 1.1 million tons, has mainly been met by the end of June, Abrafrigo said.
Imports above that quota face a 55% tariff, which was imposed this year on Brazil and other markets in a move from Beijing to protect its domestic cattle industry.
Faced with barriers to exporting to China, Brazilian beef companies have reduced output and given employees collective leave, local beef lobby Abiec has said.
