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China Enacts Three-Year Beef Import Safeguards, Setting Country Quotas and a 55% Over-Quota Tariff

The policy caps shipments to protect domestic producers following a probe that tied surging imports to industry losses.

Overview

  • Effective January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2028, the regime sets an overall 2026 quota of about 2.7 million tonnes with gradual increases over the period.
  • Argentina is assigned 511,000 tonnes annually, keeping its 12.5% duty within quota, with a 55% surcharge applied to any volume beyond that limit.
  • Brazil receives roughly 1.1 million tonnes, Uruguay 324,000, Australia about 200,000, and the United States 164,000, redistributing market access among major suppliers.
  • Immediate impact on Argentina is limited as January–November 2025 shipments to China of roughly 454,000–458,000 tonnes fall under the new cap.
  • Quotas are country-specific, unused allocations cannot roll over, some small suppliers are exempt under set thresholds, and parts of Australia’s FTA safeguards are suspended.