Beef exports from Brazil fall 3.8% in the 1st half with the impact of China

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Beef exports from Brazil recovered in June, but closed the half-year down 3.8% to 1.02 million tonnes, with the sector dealing with an embargo from China (already suspended), indicated data from Abiec, an association that brings together the country's main exporters. In June, shipments of the main fresh cuts from the country, which is the largest global exporter of beef, increased 26% compared to the same period last year, to approximately 192 thousand tons, according to data from the Brazilian government. In all, in the first half of 2023, Brazil earned US$4.8 billion from beef exports in the first half, down 21.4%, added Abiec. The association recalled that an atypical case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in February — which resulted in the closure of the Chinese market, which resumed a month later — impacted business in the first half. Even so, the main importer of Brazilian beef in the first six months was China, with purchases of 512,306 tons, ...