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Brazil Expands Global Agriculture Presence By Conquering Animal Feed Market In Mexico, Sector Valued At US$ 1 Billion, And Starts To Compete With The United States In The Areas Of Feed And Pet Food.
Brazil has obtained Mexico’s approval to start exporting bovine and swine meals, opening the door to a market estimated at US$ 1 billion and entering the route of strategic inputs for feed and pet food.
The move comes on the heels of the advancement of beef sales to the country, which in August 2025 became the second largest destination for Brazilian protein, second only to China.
The opening was coordinated during the official mission led by Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and reinforces the competition with American suppliers that currently dominate this niche.
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What Changes With The Opening To Mexico
The Mexican authorization covers the so-called animal recycling, a stage of the chain that transforms bones and other inedible parts of cattle, pigs, and poultry into protein ingredients.
These meals are included in formulations of feed and animal food, with a rule of “crossed” supply (bovine meal can compose swine diets, and vice versa), a common practice in the industry.
“The Mexican market for animal recycling products is US$ 1 billion… Brazil is now beginning to compete in this market,” said ApexBrasil President Jorge Viana.
The mission also paved the way for updating sector agreements between Brazil and Mexico, with a new signing scheduled for August 2026, a measure viewed by Brasília as a step to provide predictability for exchanges in agriculture, health, and biofuels.
Competition With The USA In Feed And Pet Food
Brazil’s entry occurs in a robust pet food market in Mexico, where the consumption base supports investment from feed and ingredient manufacturers.
Today, the United States are the main suppliers of meals for large destinations, including China, which in 2024 purchased 407 thousand tons from American manufacturers — a sign of the space Brazil seeks to occupy in Mexico as well.
Brazilian Production And Space To Grow
According to sector data cited by the government, the country produced 3.7 million tons of animal-derived meals in 2024, exporting 9% of that total, equivalent to US$ 211 million.
The reading in Brasília is that the opening of new buyers allows for a better valuation of by-products from slaughter and boosts industrial utilization.
“When you find a rewarding market, it stops being a by-product to become a co-product,” stated Agriculture Minister Carlos Fávaro.
China Opened The Way In July
The international expansion of the segment gained traction on July 30, 2025, when China enabled, according to Mapa, 46 Brazilian facilities to export poultry and swine meals.
Another four for fishmeal were also authorized.
In parallel, ApexBrasil recorded 51 plants authorized when including processed proteins and fish oil in the account — a difference in scope that explains the variation between the official numbers.
In both cases, the effect is the same: more doors opened for the Brazilian ingredient industry.
Traceability: Mexican Requirement And Brazilian Timeline
Mexico requires bovine traceability to ensure the continuity of purchases.
Brazil presented the National Plan for Individual Identification of Cattle and Buffaloes (PNIB), whose 2025–2032 timeline foresees implementation stages and the start of mandatory phases starting in 2027, until full operation by the end of 2032.
“It won’t be overnight, there are 230 million heads to identify,” said Fávaro.
The guideline of the PNIB is that, throughout the phases, individual identification becomes a condition for movement and meets the requirements of importing markets.
Sanitary Regionalization And Commercial Flow
To reduce the impacts of avian influenza on sales, the Mexican government committed to regionalization: in the event of an outbreak, the country will evaluate within 10 days the protocol to restrict exports only to the affected area, avoiding national blockades.
The measure, aligned during the mission, is viewed by the sector as protection for the flow of poultry products.
In the same package of understandings, Brazil authorized the import of tuna derivatives, peaches, and asparagus from Mexico.
Sector Agreements, PACIC And Business Environment
In the tariff field, the Pack Against Inflation And High Prices (PACIC) remains in effect until December 31, 2025, a Mexican program that eliminates import tariffs on basic basket items and has helped preserve the competitiveness of Brazilian food in the local market.
The Brazilian team also reports the continuity of discussions to modernize economic complementation agreements, with no prospect of a broad free trade agreement in the short term, as this would require approval from Mercosur.
Qualifications, Audits And Space Dispute
The Ministry of Agriculture reported that 14 Brazilian plants for cattle, pigs, and poultry will be audited by Mexican authorities in the coming months, a necessary step to increase the number of establishments able to sell to the country.
The process includes technical criteria for sanitary equivalence and, once inspections are passed, allows businesses to advance through individual qualifications.
The government also released the balance of 415 new market openings for agricultural products since 2023, with Mexico as the leader in qualifications during the period and the main source of the revenue increase observed in these openings.
Beef: Mexico Takes Center Stage
The recent boost in trade relations also appears in unprocessed protein.
In August 2025, Mexico surpassed the United States and became the second largest buyer of beef from Brazil, according to Abiec.
The scenario was accelerated by tariff changes imposed by the U.S. market and by a schedule of Mexican qualifications.
For Itamaraty and Mapa, consolidating this level involves meeting traceability requirements and increasing the qualified capacity of Brazilian plants.
Finally, the opening of the Mexican market for animal meals places Brazil on a high-value and highly competitive board, with direct effects on feed, pet food, and the industrial utilization of by-products.
É imprecionante a mentalidade dos que torcem por :” qto pior melhor”. Os 4 obtusos acima, sintam se á vontade de deixar nossa Terra dourada, gigante pela própria natureza!