China announces an additional 55% tariff on beef imports from Australia.

China's Ministry of Commerce announced on Thursday (26) that it will impose an additional 55% tariff on beef imports from Australia, after Australian beef shipments exceeded 50% of the quota set for this year (205,000 tons). The measure will take effect tomorrow (27). At the turn of the year, aiming to protect the Chinese livestock sector, Beijing imposed beef import quotas on its main suppliers and announced an additional 55% tariff for countries that exceed the established volumes. It is not yet clear why the surcharge is being applied to Australia, which quickly reached half of its quota. According to the most recent data from Chinese customs, Brazil has already used a third of its quota. In the first two months of the year, China imported 372,080 tons of beef from Brazil, equivalent to 33.64% of the total volume set for 2026 (1.1 million tons).

This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.