BEIJING (Sept 30): China will start collecting an additional 55% tariff on Brazil's beef shipments on Oct 1 after the South American country reached its annual quota of 1.1 million metric tons, the commerce ministry said on Wednesday.

China unveiled the added tariff, applicable to all suppliers, in January to protect its domestic cattle industry.

The duty adds to the standard import tariff of 12%, taking to 67% Brazil's total import duty on all shipments surpassing its quota.

Brazil, the world's biggest beef exporter, hit its annual quota of 1.1 million tons for shipments to China as of Wednesday, China's commerce ministry said.

Uruguay had authorised Brazil to use the surplus from its beef export quota to China, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said last week.

But industry insiders say China has not agreed to allow Brazil to use Uruguay's quota this year or the next.

Even if Brazil directly reached agreement with other countries over unused beef volumes, China was unlikely to agree, the industry sources told Reuters.

In May, Reuters reported Beijing had rejected Brazil's repeated lobbying attempts to allow such use.

China's commerce ministry has not publicly commented on Brazil's requests.

All eyes are on whether China, the largest buyer of Brazilian beef, will renew its beef quota system for 2027 by year-end.

Brazil's total beef export volumes are expected to drop 10% in 2026 on the year, industry group Abiec has estimated, amid curbs by Beijing and a similar recent move by the European Union.

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