Brazil chicken exports jump in August on China demand; beef exports sink

Jbs NV

08/09/2026 21:27

SAO PAULO, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Brazil's chicken exports rose some 25% in August from a year earlier, boosted by Chinese demand, while beef exports posted a sharp decline, data from industry groups showed on Tuesday. 
Brazil is the world's largest exporter of beef and chicken and home to major meat processors including JBS JBS.N, MBRF MBRF3.SA and Minerva BEEF3.SA.
Total chicken exports hit 492,600 metric tons last month, group ABPA said, with China as the top destination at 51,000 tons.
The Asian country had acquired just 83 tons in the same month of 2025 amid a temporary import curb following a bird flu outbreak at a Brazilian commercial poultry farm.
From January through August, Brazilian chicken exports reached 3.91 million tons, up 15.5% year on year, while revenue rose about 22% to $7.69 billion.
BEEF
Brazilian beef exports, on the other hand, fell 22.2% from a year earlier to 233,500 tons in August, according to data from beef lobby Abiec.
The result was attributed to an almost 90% reduction in shipments to China, after Brazil exhausted the lower-tariff import quota granted by Beijing, Abiec said.
China established a quota of 1.1 million tons for Brazilian beef imports starting in 2026, imposing a 55% tariff after the quota is filled.
Year to date, Brazil exported some 2.2 million tons, a 5.3% increase year on year, while revenue totaled $12.79 billion, up 21.7%.

(Reporting by Roberto Samora; Writing by Fernando Cardoso; Editing by Mark Porter)
((fernando.cardoso@thomsonreuters.com;))