China accounted for 158,365 tons of Brazil's frozen beef exports in June, representing 63% of the total, as exporters rushed to complete the last shipments eligible to enter under the country's 2026 quota of 1.106 million tons.
Shipments to China will remain bulky during the first few days of July, but volumes are then expected to decline sharply, as the 55% out-of-quota tariff makes much of the business commercially unviable.
During the first half of the year, exports to China totaled 774,140 tons, averaging 129,000 tons per month. Volumes are expected to contract significantly during the third quarter before recovering as the fourth quarter progresses, with product scheduled to enter China in 2027.
In addition to the increase in frozen beef exports, June also saw an unusually large volume of chilled beef shipments. After averaging less than 1,000 kilos per month, chilled exports surged to 12.63 tons in June at an average value of US$ 12,032 per ton.
