Brazil approaches the limit of the Chinese quota, and slaughterhouses reduce the purchase of cattle Brazil has already filled 98.5% of the beef export quota to China by June, which led slaughterhouses to reduce slaughter due to the decrease in volumes to be exported, especially in the third quarter, said StoneX, in an analysis released this Monday (6). China, the largest importer of Brazilian beef, implemented a quota of 1.1 million tons free of the highest tariff of 55% for the product from Brazil this year, to protect its domestic production. According to Stonex, Brazil has already exported 98.5% of this volume, considering the shipments that began to be made at the end of last year, in November, until June 30 of this year. Taking into account China's internalization data -- that is, the meat that has actually already landed in the country --, Brazil had filled 72% of the quota by June 30. Therefore, the Brazilian balance must be filled by August, counting the approximately 45 days between embarkation in Brazil and arrival in China. ?? Do you have any reporting suggestions? Send to g1 "There is an expectation of greater supply (of beef) in the domestic market, also possibilities of rescheduling supply, but the industry's first reaction was to reduce slaughter," said Larissa Barboza Alvarez, Market Intelligence analyst at StoneX. She also added that reaching China's quota was the reason why meatpackers began mass collective vacations in Mato Grosso in recent days. Brazilian beef exports reached record levels in the first half of 2026, totaling 1.705 million tons shipped and US$9.85 billion in revenue, the Brazilian Association of Meat Exporting Industries (Abiec) reported this Monday, citing official government data. Much of the acceleration in shipments occurred due to the Chinese quotas defined for 2026, said StoneX, adding that exports to China should return in the fourth quarter, given the start of the 2027 quota. In addition to Brazil, Australia has also exhausted its export quota to China, so that "the main suppliers stop supplying the Chinese market from the middle of the 3rd quarter", the report pointed out. "Argentina, Uruguay and the United States still have relevant space in their quotas, but doubts remain regarding their ability to fill them, given the more limited availability of these players for export." Read also: El Niño threatens production and could make food more expensive in Brazil; see the most affected Trump tariff: see how coffee, honey and fish will try to escape the new taxes European Union vetoes imports of meat and animal products from Brazil