China Adds 55% Tariff on Brazilian Beef from Oct. 1, 2026

China applies an extra 55% safeguard tariff to Brazilian beef from Oct. 1, 2026, after Brazil filled its 1.106 million tonne 2026 quota on Sept. 29.

China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on Sept. 30, 2026, that beef from Brazil has filled its 2026 safeguard quota, so Brazilian beef imported from Oct. 1, 2026, pays an extra 55% tariff on top of the normal duty.

The trade remedy office of MOFCOM said Brazilian imports reached 100% of the country’s yearly quota on Sept. 29, 2026¹. Under the ministry’s Announcement No. 87 of 2025, the extra duty starts on the third day after that point, which is midnight on Oct. 1¹.

In short, Brazil’s low-duty beef allowance for 2026 is used up. Any Brazilian beef that enters China for the rest of 2026 costs the importer 55 percentage points more in tariff than it did in September.

What has changed for Brazilian beef?

Since Jan. 1, 2026, China has applied a safeguard measure to imported beef. A safeguard is a temporary limit or extra tax that a country uses when a sudden rise in imports hurts its own producers. China chose a form it calls a "country quota with an extra tariff outside the quota"².

Each major supplier has a fixed tonnage for the year. Beef within that tonnage pays the normal tariff. Once a country’s tonnage is reached, beef from that country pays an extra 55% tariff on top of the normal rate².

The notice from MOFCOM’s trade remedy office, dated Sept. 30, 2026, confirms the date the quota filled and the date the extra duty began¹. The notice is numbered Letter No. 58 of 2026¹.

How large is Brazil’s beef quota?

The quota table attached to Announcement No. 87 gives Brazil 1.106 million tonnes for 2026³. That is the largest share of the total of 2.688 million tonnes for all suppliers in 2026³.

The same table sets quotas for the other main suppliers in 2026³:

• Argentina: 511,000 tonnes.
• Uruguay: 324,000 tonnes.
• New Zealand: 206,000 tonnes.
• Australia: 205,000 tonnes.
• United States: 164,000 tonnes.
• Other countries and regions: 172,000 tonnes, shared.

Brazil’s tonnage is more than twice that of Argentina, the next largest. A MOFCOM spokesperson said at a June 4, 2026, press briefing that Brazil is China’s largest source of beef imports⁴. The spokesperson also said China’s beef imports from Brazil had grown fast in 2026⁴.

Which beef products does the duty cover?

The measure covers meat from cattle after slaughter and processing². It includes fresh, chilled or frozen beef in whole and half carcasses, cuts with the bone in, and boneless cuts².

Announcement No. 87 lists six codes in China’s import tariff schedule²:

• 02011000, 02012000 and 02013000 for fresh or chilled beef.
• 02021000, 02022000 and 02023000 for frozen beef.

The extra 55% on Brazilian beef applies under all six codes, whether the meat arrives chilled or frozen².

Why did China put limits on beef imports?

MOFCOM opened the safeguard investigation on Dec. 27, 2024, through its Announcement No. 60 of 2024². The investigation looked at whether imports had risen, whether China’s own beef industry was hurt, and whether the rise caused the harm².

The ministry’s ruling, published on Dec. 31, 2025, found all three. It said beef imports had increased, the domestic industry had suffered serious injury, and the rise in imports caused that injury².

At the June 4 briefing, the MOFCOM spokesperson said the measure aims to help the domestic industry through a hard period for a limited time⁴. The spokesperson said it is not meant to restrict normal beef trade⁴.

How does the quota and extra duty work?

The rules in Announcement No. 87 work in a fixed order²:

1. On Jan. 1 each year, every listed country starts with a new quota.
2. Beef within the quota pays only the normal tariff rate.
3. Quota left unused at the end of a year does not carry over to the next year.
4. When a country’s imports reach its quota, the extra 55% applies from the third day, counting that day.

For Brazil, the quota filled on Sept. 29, and the third day was Oct. 1¹. The ministry and the customs authority publish warnings as a country nears its quota. The June 4 briefing said MOFCOM and the General Administration of Customs both release notices when imports reach set shares of a quota, and again when the quota is reached⁴.

The trade remedy office’s case page lists earlier notices in the series. Notice No. 9, the one for Brazil’s full quota, followed dated entries from March to August 2026¹. The extra tariff is decided by the State Council Tariff Commission, the government body that sets China’s import duties, on MOFCOM’s proposal².

Who pays the extra duty on Brazilian beef?

The importer of record in China pays the extra tariff when the beef is cleared². Announcement No. 87 says import operators must pay the 55% on top of the currently applied tariff rate once the quota is full².

For a Chinese buyer, this means each Brazilian shipment cleared from Oct. 1 costs much more at the border. For Brazilian meat packers, the price gap grows with beef from suppliers whose quota is not yet full. Each country’s quota is counted on its own, so Brazil’s full quota does not raise duties on beef from Argentina or Uruguay⁴.

Customs brokers must apply the higher rate to Brazilian beef from Oct. 1. Brazilian exporters face that rate on every shipment cleared until the end of 2026.

Which countries are left out of the measure?

Announcement No. 87 excludes beef from developing countries with small shares of China’s imports². A developing country or region is left out if its share is no more than 3%, and the total share of all such countries is no more than 9%². Annex 3 of the announcement lists those countries².

The exclusion can end. If an excluded country passes 3% in one year, or the group passes 9%, the measure can apply to it from the next year².

While the safeguard runs, China has also suspended the special beef safeguard in the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement². Australian beef therefore falls under the same country quota rules as beef from Brazil.

When does Brazil’s beef quota reset?

The measure lasts three years, from Jan. 1, 2026, to Dec. 31, 2028². The announcement says it will be eased step by step at fixed intervals during that time².

The quota table shows how that easing works for Brazil³:

• 2026: 1.106 million tonnes.
• 2027: 1.128 million tonnes.
• 2028: 1.151 million tonnes.

The extra duty stays at 55% in each of the three years in the table³. The total quota for all suppliers rises from 2.688 million tonnes in 2026 to 2.742 million tonnes in 2027 and 2.797 million tonnes in 2028³.

So Brazilian beef pays the extra 55% until Dec. 31, 2026. On Jan. 1, 2027, Brazil starts again with 1.128 million tonnes at the normal rate³. Announcement No. 87 also lets MOFCOM review the form and level of the measure if conditions change².

Key points on China’s beef safeguard duty for Brazil

The table below sums up the change for Brazilian beef.

Brazilian beef cleared in China for the rest of 2026 pays the normal tariff plus 55%. The next date in the documents is Jan. 1, 2027, when Brazil’s new quota of 1.128 million tonnes opens at the normal rate³.

Sources

1. ↩ 中国贸易救济信息网 https://cacs.mofcom.gov.cn/cacscms/article/jkdc?articleId=189379&type=11
2. ↩ 商务部公告2025年第87号 公布对进口牛肉实施保障措施的裁定 https://www.mofcom.gov.cn/zwgk/zcfb/art/2025/art_d6a23dcbc58642d880a21b4cd6aafb91.html
3. ↩ 31781767665869424.pdf https://picpolicy.mofcom.gov.cn/file/20260106/31781767665869424.pdf
4. ↩ 商务部召开例行新闻发布会（2026年6月4日） https://www.mofcom.gov.cn/xwfbzt/2026/swbzklxxwfbh2026n6y4r/index.html