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According to Abiec, Brazilian beef exports hit a monthly record in May, with 297 thousand tons. China took more than half of the volume, driven by the Chinese safeguard, and the United States came in second place, even with the threat of a 25% tariff hike expected for July.
The Brazilian exports of beef reached a monthly record in May 2026. Brazil shipped 297 thousand tons of the protein worldwide, a volume 17.8% higher than recorded in the same month last year and almost 3% above April, according to MDIC data compiled by the Brazilian Association of Meat Exporting Industries (Abiec) and released on Wednesday (3).
The result was driven by China, which alone took more than half of the beef sold abroad in the month. Even amid the tariff hike tension, the United States remained the second-largest buyer. Year-to-date, the country has already exported 1.3 million tons and earned nearly 8 billion dollars.
China grabs more than half of the beef
According to information from the portal Globo Rural, China maintained a comfortable lead among the destinations for Brazilian beef in May.
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A total of 157.6 thousand tons were shipped to the Chinese market, which yielded US$ 1.06 billion and represented 53.1% of all the protein Brazil sold in the month.
Compared to May 2025, sales to the Chinese grew by an impressive 39.6%.
This jump, however, has an explanation that deserves attention. According to Abiec, the increase in exports to China reflects an anticipation of shipments in light of the implementation of safeguard measures announced by the Asian country for beef imports.
In practice, slaughterhouses rushed to send as much as possible before the Chinese quota tightened, which helps explain why the May numbers were so strong.
United States resist even with the tariff hike
In second place, and contrary to some of the pessimism, appeared the United States. The North American market imported 28.8 thousand tons of beef from Brazil in May, with revenue of US$ 195.6 million, an increase of 5.1% compared to the same month of the previous year.
The performance is noteworthy precisely because it occurred at the height of commercial tension between the two countries.
The key point is that beef was excluded from the new 25% tariff that could affect Brazilian products starting in July.
Donald Trump’s government included the protein on the list of items exempt from the tariff hike, as food from Brazil is considered strategic for supplying the American market.
This explains why, even with the tense atmosphere, the United States continued buying at a steady pace.
Record of price and weight of fresh beef
In addition to the volume, May brought strong numbers in revenue and price. Export revenues totaled US$ 1.83 billion, an increase of 6.5% over April, while the average price of exported beef reached US$ 6,163 per ton, 3.5% above the previous month.
In other words, Brazil not only sold more but also at a better value.
Another highlight was the type of product shipped. The fresh beef, sold chilled or frozen without industrial processing, accounted for 88.2% of the volume and 93.1% of the revenue obtained by the meatpackers in the month.
The data shows that most of the sector’s revenue comes from the cut itself, not from industrialized products.
Year-to-date confirms the strength of the sector
In the accumulated from January to May, the numbers reinforce the good moment. Brazil has already exported 1.3 million tons of beef, an increase of 15.3% compared to the same period in 2025, when shipments totaled about 1.2 million tons. Revenue for the period reached US$ 7.88 billion, almost 8 billion dollars, one of the best results ever seen by the sector in five months, according to Abiec.
The division among buyers follows the same pattern as the month. China leads by a wide margin, with 631.9 thousand tons acquired in the year and US$ 3.78 billion in purchases, equivalent to 45.5% of the volume and 48% of the sector’s revenue.
The United States comes second, with 178.6 thousand tons and US$ 1.16 billion, or 12.9% of the total, followed by Chile, Russia, and the European Union.
The presence of Brazilian beef in more than 177 markets helps to stabilize sales.
Seeing Brazilian beef break records even with China tightening quotas and the United States under the shadow of the tariff hike shows the size of the national agribusiness.
Tell us in the comments if you think this dependence on China is risky and what Brazil should do to avoid being hostage to a single buyer.
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