Once uncertainty surrounding the safeguard was cleared—with export quotas for beef suppliers (see Asia)—the market “reactivated in a way few had imagined,” a regional trader told World Beef Report (WBR).

In Australia —one of the countries most affected by China’s move— concern is “very strong,” especially among feedlots running long programs of 150 or 200 days.

As expected, the US “other countries” quota of just over 52,000 tons was virtually exhausted in less than a week.

It was another week of rising prices for Hilton rump & loin cuts.

After the holiday break, several kosher teams are resuming regular slaughter operations across the region this week.

The imported beef market in Chile remained calm and largely unchanged after the close of 2025. According to a market operator, prices are holding at similar levels to previous weeks, with Brazilian 19/20 cuts at US$/t 6,300–6,400 CIF and Paraguayan beef at US$/t 7,000–7,100.

The average value of slaughter cattle in the region began 2026 on a firmer tone. The World Beef Report (WBR) Mercosur Steer Index rose 4 cents on the week to US$ 4.31 per kilo carcass weight, moving closer to the highs reached late last year.

Brazilian beef exports in 2025 shattered all records. For the first time ever, they surpassed 3 million tons and exceeded the 2024 record by more than 500,000 tons.

Brazilian beef exports to the United States jumped sharply in December. This volume entered under the “other countries” quota—together, most likely, with a significant share of shipments made in the previous two months—during the first days of the current year.

Like most of its main suppliers, Brazilian beef exports to member countries of the European Union (EU) recorded a significant increase last year. The contraction in beef production across Europe and persistently strong demand are sustaining high import flows at elevated prices.

Brazil could lose approximately US$ 3 billion in revenue from beef exports that may not be shipped to China due to the country’s new tariff and import quota policy.

Amid China’s announcement of safeguard measures, a meeting is scheduled this week in São Paulo between the government and the Associação Brasileira de Indústrias Exportadoras de Carne (Abiec) to assess how the quotas will be implemented, sector sources told Globo Rural.

Both domestic and external demand for Brazilian beef are expected to continue growing in 2026, driven by a global context of tighter supply and firmer prices.

Prices for finished male cattle were steady to lower across Brazil’s main livestock regions.

Uruguay placed 392,000 tons shipment weight of beef on the international market in 2025, an annual increase of 30 thousand tons (8.4%) and the second-largest volume on record, surpassed only by the 424,000 tons exported in 2021.

In December, the United States was the main destination for beef not only in value—something it had already achieved previously—but also in volume.

Europe’s strong demand for beef is reflected in the increase in import volumes not only from Uruguay but also from most of its main international suppliers.

The minister of livestock, agriculture and fisheries, Alfredo Fratti, said that China’s decision to apply a 55% tariff on beef imports exceeding certain quotas does not harm Uruguay and, on the contrary, represents a favorable scenario.

The two trade associations representing Uruguay’s meatpacking industry, the Cámara de la Industria Frigorífica (CIF) and the Asociación de la Industria Frigorífica del Uruguay (Adifu), issued a joint statement on Saturday, January 2, urging “all actors in the meat production chain to take extra care and ensure the necessary controls to avoid” the detection at destination of veterinary drug residues exceeding established thresholds, according to Monitor Agrícola.

The trend toward concentration in Uruguay’s meatpacking industry accelerated in 2025. More than one out of every two cattle (51.7%) were slaughtered by the two leading groups, MBRF and Minerva, while more than four out of five (82%) were processed by the five largest companies in the sector.

Uruguay’s livestock market began to move more decisively this week after a very quiet start to the year.

Although at logically moderate levels due to the year-end holiday and reduced activity across much of the industry, cattle slaughter started 2026 at a faster pace than in the same days a year earlier.

Despite the peak period of domestic demand for sheepmeat —year-end festivities— now being over, the market remains well supported with steady prices. Lambs are trading around US$ 5.60, while adult sheep are priced between US$ 4.60 and US$ 4.65.

While official figures are still pending, data from electronic transit documents issued by the sanitary service SENASA indicate that cattle slaughter in December would have hovered around 1.1 million head, pointing to a 10% year-on-year decline.

Export cattle prices held steady compared with the previous week. Crossbred steers of British breeds, with better meat quality, are quoted between Ar$ 7,600 and 7,800 per kilo carcass weight, while zebu crossbreds range from Ar$ 7,300 to 7,600.

Cattle slaughter closed 2025 with a sharp decline, reaching its lowest level since September 2023, 27 months earlier.

Senacsa reported that in 2025 Paraguay exported 355,755 tons of beef, 0.8% more than in the previous year.

In December, for the third consecutive month, the United States was the main destination for Paraguayan beef exports, displacing Chile, which had traditionally dominated as the leading customer for export-oriented meatpackers.

After the distortion caused by the year-end holidays, the Paraguayan market is returning to normal this week, with industrial activity resuming at several plants.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) published a new ruling in the Federal Register confirming the beef tariff-rate quota (TRQ) for the United Kingdom effective January 1, 2026.

Packers in the South were active early Saturday morning, bidding +US$ 1 to +US$ 2 over the few early-week sales at US$/cwt 232. These moves prevent the trades from being reported by the USDA.

Compared to the last market test, US beef import prices were not fully established.

By Friday January 2, a volume of 5.53 thousand tons was waiting to enter under the European quota 481, more than doubling the quota for this year —and the following ones— which stands at 2,500 tons per quarter for third countries.

The European Commission said on Monday that “progress” has been made in recent weeks in talks on the trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, and that the process is moving along the “right track” toward its signing, although no definitive date has yet been set.

At the start of 2026, international trade is expected to show a slowdown compared with 2025. Last year, global goods trade expanded driven by front-loaded imports —especially in the United States— ahead of tariff increases.

According to a press release from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), preliminary results show that as of November 3, 2025 there were 15,220 pig farms in Germany.

Australian beef exports have been increasing uninterruptedly for 36 months. The last time monthly exports were lower than in the same period of the previous year was December 2022.

Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) has expressed its disappointment on behalf of Australia’s red meat industry following the announcement by China’s Ministry of Commerce to implement a global safeguard measure on beef imports, including Australian beef.

China’s Ministry of Commerce concluded its safeguard investigation into beef imports and confirmed that rising imports caused serious injury to the domestic beef industry, establishing a direct causal link.

The South Korean government will implement a set of special quarantine measures this month to prevent the further spread of avian influenza (AI), according to officials.