China imposes curbs on beef imports to protect domestic industry

By Daphne Zhang, Ella Cao and Liz Lee BEIJING, Dec 31 (Reuters) – China will impose an added 55% tariff on beef imports that exceed quota levels from key supplier countries including Brazil, Australia and the U.S. in a move to protect a domestic cattle industry slowly emerging from oversupply. China's commerce ministry said on Wednesday the total import quota for 2026 for countries covered under its new "safeguard measures" is 2.7 million metric tons, roughly in line with the record 2.87 million tons it imported overall in 2024. The new annual quota levels are set below import levels for the first 11 months of 2025 for some countries, including leading suppliers Brazil and Australia. "The increase in the amount of imported beef has seriously damaged China's domestic industry," the ministry said in announcing the measure following an investigation launched last December. The measure takes effect on January 1 for three years, with total quota increasing annually. Beef imports to China fell 0.3% in the first 11 months of this year to 2.59 million tons. Chinese beef imports will decline in 2026 as a result of the measures, said Hongzhi Xu, senior analyst at Beijing Orient Agribusiness Consultants. "China's beef-cattle farming is not competitive compared with countries such as Brazil and Argentina. This cannot be reversed in the short term through technological advancements or institutional reforms," Xu said. Quota Volumes and Additional Tariff Rates Year 2026 2027 2028 Quota Volume (1,000 tons)   Brazil 1,106 1,128 1,151 Argentina 511 521 532 Uruguay 324 331 337 New Zealand 206 210 214 Australia 205 209 213 United 164 168 171 States Other 172 175 179 countries/r egions Total 2,688 2,742 2,797 Additional 55% 55% 55% Tariff Rate         In 2024, China imported 1.34 million tons of beef from Brazil, 594,567 tons from Argentina, 243,662 tons from Uruguay, 216,050 tons from Australia, 150,514 tons from New Zealand, and 138,112 tons from the United States. In the first 11 months of this year, Brazil shipped 1.33 million tons of beef to China, according to Chinese customs data, well above the quota levels set under Beijing's new measures. Also this year, Australian shipments to China have surged, gaining share at the expense of U.S. beef after Beijing in March allowed permits to expire at hundreds of American meat plants and as President Donald Trump unleashed a tit-for-tat tariff war. U.S. shipments stood at just 55,172 tons through November. Australian beef exports to China stood at 294,957 tons in the first 11 months of 2025. China's move comes as a global beef shortage pushes up prices in many parts of the world, including to record highs in the U.S. Responding to Beijing's announcement, Mark Thomas, chair of the Western Beef Association in Australia, said: "There's plenty of other countries that will take our product." DOMESTIC PROTECTION China made its announcement following two extensions of its beef import probe, which officials say does not target any particular country. The tariffs will help curb the decline in China's breeding cow inventory and buy time for domestic beef enterprises to make adjustments and upgrades, said Zengyong Zhu, a research fellow of the Institute of Animal Science of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Beijing has stepped up policy support for the beef sector this year and said in late November that cattle farming had been profitable for seven consecutive months. (Reporting by Liz Lee, Shi Bu, Daphne Zhang, Ella Cao; Additional reporting by Helen Clark in Perth. Editing by Tony Munroe and Gareth Jones)

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