🐂 Beefed-up market

Brazilian beef sector was bolstered and transformed by Chinese demand in the past decade, with effects both to the country’s domestic market and the environment. What impacts could a new trade war bring?

Author

Letícia Arcoverde
April 28, 2025 • Reading Time: 2 minutes

Brazil wants to increase beef exports to China. But this isn’t 2018

Meatpacking plant in Indaial, Santa Catarina. Photo: BY Brazil/Shutterstock

Meatpacking plant in Indaial, Santa Catarina. Photo: BY Brazil/Shutterstock

The 2017-2019 US-China trade war, during Donald Trump’s first term, ultimately benefited two of Brazil’s top agricultural exports: soybeans and beef. Now, with trade disputes reignited in Trump’s second term, Brazilian producers see another chance to expand their market — and beef is once again shaping up to be a key battleground.

Earlier this month, after the Chinese government failed to renew export registrations for hundreds of US beef producers, Brazil’s Agriculture Minister Carlos Fávaro publicly offered Brazil as a replacement.

“Someone will need to supply this beef previously sold by the US,” he said. “I am sure [Brazil] will know how to occupy this space.”

The push comes as Brazilian beef exports continue to grow, largely fueled by Chinese demand. Yet the road ahead may be more complicated than in previous years, with obstacles abroad and ramifications at home.

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