Report 1638

The recovery in selling prices to China saw “some pause” at the beginning of this week. Two Brazilian exporters told WBR that the US$/t 6,000 CFR previously negotiated for the forequarter in 8 cuts up until the end of last week was no longer being confirmed.

It was another week of downward adjustments for chilled beef prices in Europe. Hilton rump & loin cuts from Argentina were traded at around US$/t 16,700 FOB, although some importers on Tuesday were bidding US$/t 16,500, while exporters were reluctant to go below US$/t 17,000.

Despite the lack of clear trade flow after the tariffs imposed by Trump, business with the U.S. has not come to a halt. A trader active in that market explained to WBR that although uncertainty remains across all segments of the chain (importers, traders, distributors, and retailers), two major players —Cofco and McDonald’s— continue to import large volumes of beef into the U.S.

Chile’s purchasing pace from its two main suppliers remained stable last week, both in price and volume. One importer reported deals for the 19/20 cuts from Brazil at US$/t 5,950–6,000 CFR, while Paraguay was shipping in-transit loads priced at US$/t 6,100–6,200 CFR.

This past week saw increased interest from Russia in buying offal from Uruguay.

Cattle slaughter in Mercosur countries during May is estimated at around 4.1 million head, the highest monthly volume since August 2024. However, when looking at the annualized trend, slaughter volumes have stopped growing in recent months and are likely to take a moderate downward path starting in the second half of this year.

Slaughter cattle prices saw a significant increase this week, supported by rising price references in Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, as well as by the weakness of the U.S. dollar. The WBR Mercosur Steer Index rose 9 cents for the week to US$ 3.98 per kilo carcass weight, the highest level in five weeks.

The upward trend in the average export price of Brazilian beef remained steady during the second week of June, nearing US$ 5,500 per ton shipment weight.

Beef, pork, and poultry production in Brazil is expected to reach 31.57 million tons in 2025, remaining close to the record level of 31.58 million tons reached in 2024.

Technical staff from Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) visited Brazil last week to audit the country’s sanitary inspection system. The visit is considered a key step toward a possible opening of the Japanese market to Brazilian beef.

On June 13, Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defense (Cade) authorized Minerva to act as an interested third party in the review of the merger between Marfrig and BRF. The decision was signed by Cade’s acting superintendent general, Juliana Domingues.

For the first time, Brazil will host the World Meat Congress, scheduled to take place from October 27 to 30, 2025, in Cuiabá, in the state of Mato Grosso. The event will bring together producers, exporters, researchers, and institutional representatives from over 20 countries involved in the global animal protein chain.

Slaughter cattle prices continue to rise. The average price of the finished male (boi gordo), based on Scot Consultoria’s figures —excluding the Funrural tax and with 30-day payment terms— exceeded R$ 300, a level not seen since early May, six weeks ago.

Minerva has fulfilled the agreement signed with the Commission for the Promotion and Defense of Competition (Coprodec) and sold Establecimientos Colonia to the Indian group Allana for US$ 48 million, according to a document sent to the stock market last Friday. According to the company, the operation is part of a counterproposal related to the purchase of the San José and Salto plants, but it was conditioned on the immediate resale of the Colonia facility to Allana, reported Money Times.

Cattle slaughter in the 2024/25 cycle, now in its final stretch, is expected to total around 2.33 million head, representing a minimal drop from the previous cycle —roughly 50,000 head— driven primarily by a consistent decline in the number of females sent to slaughter.

The pregnancy diagnoses carried out in May by cattle producers associated with the Plan Agropecuario reflect an outstanding performance of the breeding herd. According to the RING survey for May and early June, 58% of producers reported pregnancy rates above 80%, with a general average of 81% for the month.

The Type Steer 2.0 indicator for May recorded a monthly increase of 2.6% (+US$ 44), driven by both the basket of exported products and the domestic market carcass value, according to INAC.

The price of special export steers reached US$ 5 last week—a level not seen since August 2022, nearly three years ago. Market firmness persists, driven by strong demand for a scarce raw material.

Cattle slaughter dropped by more than 8,500 head, affected by the 24-hour strike organized by Foica in response to the workplace accident at Cledinor and the suspension of operations at Minerva’s Carrasco plant. INAC reported that during the week ending June 14, a total of 42,586 head of cattle were processed, the lowest number in eight weeks, since Easter week.

The sheep meat market remains firm, with prices gradually trending upward. Lambs are paid at US$ 4.40 per kilo, while mutton trades between US$ 3.65 and US$ 3.75. Some plants are primarily processing mutton.

According to data from the European Community, as of May 31, 2025, 28,145 tons of Argentine beef had entered the EU under the Hilton Quota—equivalent to 95.77% of the country’s allocation. This leaves just 1,243 tons to be shipped in the final month of the 2024/25 cycle, which is about half of Argentina’s recent monthly average exports to the EU.

As of January 1, 2026, cattle will no longer be required to meet a minimum slaughter weight, according to Resolution 98/25 issued by the Secretariat of Agriculture and published yesterday in the Official Gazette.

Export steer prices rose by Ar$ 100 per kilo carcass weight —around 2%— after remaining stable for just over a month. Crossbred British-type finished steers are now trading between Ar$ 5,100 and 5,200 per kilo carcass weight, while zebu crossbreeds are selling for Ar$ 4,900 to 5,100.

The president of the Paraguayan Meat Chamber (CPC), Randy Ross, confirmed on Valor Agregado on Radio Asunción 1250 AM that the meatpacking industry supports the official position of Senacsa to stop vaccinating against foot-and-mouth disease by 2027. “It would be good to move up to the next league,” Ross emphasized in reference to the goal of achieving the status of free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination.

Industry price lists for cattle purchases remained unchanged over the past week, with reference prices of US$ 3.50 per kg carcass weight for regular steers and US$ 3.20 for finished cows. Although some deals were closed, a market intermediary told WBR that producers are “holding their ground and refusing to sell at these prices,” and considered it “possible” that some price movement could occur next week.

In the first five months of 2025, Chile imported 102,370 tons of beef at an average CIF value of US$/t 6,289, according to data from Odepa. The volume rose 2% compared to the same period in 2024, while the average value increased by 13%.

Shares of Brazilian meat giant JBS had a positive debut on the U.S. stock market last Friday, closing with gains and achieving a corporate valuation of approximately US$ 30 billion—surpassing rival Tyson Foods, which has a market capitalization of US$ 19.82 billion.

World leaders across the political spectrum are attempting to mitigate the warring between Israel and Iran. The attacks on oil depots in Iran could threaten oil supplies in the world. Escalating war threats also impair world trading including beef shipments to export destinations. Monday’s mood was somewhat calmer and oil prices moderated in overnight trading.

Compared to the prior market test, US beef import prices were moderately higher.

In the first quarter of 2025, EU exports of pork and pork products to third countries reached 1,107,475 tons, according to the latest data published by the European Commission, informed Pig333. This represents a 3.11% increase over the same period last year.

Cargill has announced an agreement to acquire 100% ownership of Teys Investments, an Australian beef producer in which it already held a stake. The Teys family, which has operated the business for over 75 years, decided that the time was right to transfer full ownership to Cargill. The move is part of a strategy to ensure the continuity and growth of both Teys Australia and Teys USA—two key players in the global beef industry.

Imported beef held in cold storage in China rose moderately in May compared to the previous month, according to the index compiled by the monthly publication of OIG+X.

China’s Customs Authority (GACC) announced the approval of U.S. poultry and pork processing plants, while continuing to restrict beef import opportunities from that country. For production starting June 12 onward, 78 poultry plants, 18 pork plants, and five dual-species plants were approved, according to OIG.