China’s chilled beef imports from the United States were the lowest in more than one year

China’s chilled-beef imports in March held roughly steady with February’s level overall, but supplier shares shifted markedly. Volumes from the United States slumped 45% month on month to below 1,000 t—the lowest in more than a year—while arrivals from other origins climbed, led by Australia (+38% m/m), New Zealand (+89%) and Argentina (+38%).

Australia was the top chilled-beef supplier in March with 3,135 t, followed by the United States (959 t), New Zealand (390 t) and Argentina (201 t).

The lapse in approval for some 350 U.S. plants as of 16 March hurt chilled-beef shipments, whereas frozen-beef volumes held near 9,000 t.