EN 
PT_BR 
Sales to the United States, which grew strongly until August, are expected to gain new momentum with access to the new quota that came into effect in September, reducing the effects of Chinese tariff restrictions and barriers imposed by the European market on Brazilian meat. Abrafrigo estimates that Chinese purchases will return to the 2007 quota in November. Brazilian exports of beef and beef by-products (including fresh meat, processed meat, edible offal and other by-products) fell by 16.11% in August 2026, compared to the same month of the previous year, to US$1.399 billion. Shipped volumes decreased by 25.56%, to 267,340 tons.
The result for the month of August mainly reflected the exhaustion of the quota for Brazilian beef exports to the Chinese market, of 1.106 million tons, with sales exceeding this volume subject to a surcharge of 55%. The information was compiled by the Brazilian Association of Meatpacking Plants (ABRAFRIGO), based on data from the Secretariat of Foreign Trade (Secex) of the MDIC (Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade). In the accumulated period from January to August 2026, exports from the sector reached US$12.957 billion, with a growth of 19.55% compared to the same period in 2025. In volume, the decrease in the period was 1.14%, to 2.387 million tons. China remained the main external buyer of Brazilian beef in the first eight months of the year. In total, the Asian country was responsible for acquisitions of US$5.438 billion, an increase of 9.431 billion.
In terms of volume, sales to China fell by 7.91 TP4T, to 873,000 tons. Considering only the month of August, sales of fresh beef to the Chinese market decreased by 89.621 TP4T in revenue, to US$92 million, and by 89.821 TP4T in volume, to 16,000 tons, compared to August 2025. With the exhaustion of Brazil's export quota to China, the expectation is that sales to the Asian country will resume from November onwards, to be counted towards next year's quota. The United States, which has consolidated itself as the second largest importer of Brazilian beef, gains extra momentum with the new quota of up to 300,000 tons, free of the 26.41 TP4T tariff, destined for "other" countries (which do not have a specific quota in the US market).
The measure is valid from September and will be subdivided into monthly quotas of up to 100,000 tons, which must be filled monthly, valid until November 2026. Brazil is expected to be the biggest beneficiary of this tariff concession, which will help mitigate the effects of the exhaustion of export quotas to China in the months of September to November 2026. According to information from the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) service, compiled by the attaché of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA) in the United States, as of September 14, 2026, 22,16% of the 100,000-ton quota allocated for the month of September 2026 had been filled.
It is important to highlight that, according to the published regulations, any unfilled volume in one month will not be automatically reallocated to the following month. The quota is intended for exports of lean beef trimmings described in the classification codes (HS System) 0201.30.5091, 0201.30.5097, 0202.30.5091 and 0202.30.5097. From January to August 2026, total beef sales to the United States reached US$2 billion, representing a growth of 24.75% compared to the same period in 2025. Considering only sales of fresh beef, sales to the United States grew by 62.16%, reaching US$1.458 billion in the first eight months of the year.
In terms of volume shipped, there was an increase of 37,24%, to 241 thousand tons. In August 2026 alone, before the new quota came into effect, sales of fresh beef to the United States reached US$182.2 million (+385%), with shipments of 31,330 tons (+390%). It is also worth remembering that in August 2025, an additional tariff of 50% on Brazilian products, including beef, came into effect, which should further favor the performance of sales to the United States in the next 3 months. The European Union was the third largest destination for Brazilian beef exports in the first eight months of the year. Total sales to the European bloc reached US$791.3 million, representing an increase of 44.4% compared to the same period in 2025. Sales of fresh beef grew by 38.5% in the comparative period, reaching US$659 million, with the volume shipped increasing by 26.3% to 72,950 tons.
Due to the barrier imposed by the European Union on Brazilian beef, related to difficulties in recognizing the protocol for antimicrobial-free production presented by entities in the production chain and approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA), it is estimated that Brazil will stop shipping approximately 70,000 tons of beef products to the European Union, impacting the sector by around US$700 million between September and December 2026. According to available information, the Brazilian government is still negotiating with European authorities the possibility of reversing the barrier to Brazilian beef.
In other markets considered strategic, Chile maintained a strong pace of expansion, with 106,800 tons shipped, an increase of 32.41% of the total export volume (TP4T), and revenue of US$650 million, a growth of 47.61% of the total export volume (TP4T). Russia also significantly increased its purchases, to approximately 96,000 tons, an increase of 29.41% of the total export volume (TP4T), while revenue grew by 46.41% of the total export volume (TP4T), to approximately US$454 million. Mexico, on the other hand, was the only one of the five markets to register a decline: purchases fell by 18.81% of the total export volume (TP4T), to 65,800 tons, and revenue decreased by 9.41% of the total export volume (TP4T), to US$399 million. Hong Kong showed recovery, with 71,000 tons imported, an increase of 9.91% of the total export volume (TP4T), and revenue of US$301 million, an increase of 34.71% of the total export volume (TP4T). Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, registered one of the most significant performances, with a growth of 24.91% in volume, to 49,700 tons, and 56.8% in revenue, which reached US$297.5 million. In total, Brazil went from 164 to 171 purchasing countries when comparing January-August 2025 and 2026. Of these, 126 increased their purchases while 55 reduced them.
