January 30, 2006

China imposes partial ban on Brazilian meat imports 

China has officially suspended Brazilian beef, pork and lamb imports in response to the country's recent cases of FMD, confirmed Brazil's Agricultural Ministry on Friday.

Unofficially, China stopped buying Brazilian beef starting on Oct 13, after Brazil confirmed it had discovered a FMD outbreak, said Denise Euclydes, coordinator of bilateral accords of the sanitary department at the Agricultural Ministry in a phone interview with Dow Jones Newswires on Friday.

However, the Chinese government only notified Brazil's ambassador in Beijing on Thursday that it was banning the country's beef, pork and lamb products for the time being, Euclydes said.

China imported roughly US$86 million of meat products from Brazil in 2005.

However, more than 90 percent of China's meat imports from Brazil are chicken products, while Brazilian beef accounts for just 2.3 percent.

"Brazil's chicken exports to China are continuing, without a hitch ... and practically speaking, China doesn't buy pork or lamb from us," said Euclydes. "So it's just (Brazilian) beef that is affected by this decree."

So far, over 50 countries have imposed partial or full bans on Brazilian beef, after FMD cases were confirmed in the states of Mato Grosso do Sul and Parana in the last quarter of 2005.

Brazil is the world's top beef exporter.