China steps up Covid testing and controls for South American beef

Last year, the coronavirus pandemic disrupted beef production across the world, as workers fell ill and plants were temporarily shut. In South America, outbreaks were reported at processing facilities in Brazil and Argentina, while workers in Uruguay went on strike.

Just as operations began to normalize, producers were faced with a new challenge, as China started detecting traces of coronavirus in beef imports. The latest wave of such reports came in November, when various Chinese cities said they had found the virus on beef sourced from Brazil, Bolivia, and Argentina. Similar findings resulted in the temporary suspension of exports from nine processing plants in Brazil and seven in Argentina.

In addition to bans, Chinese authorities imposed strict testing requirements which have disrupted trade and created uncertainty for both suppliers and importers. And the issue is not limited to South America either, as China has reportedly found traces of the coronavirus in over 40 batches of meat samples from more than a dozen countries. Besides beef, the country also claims to have found the virus on shrimp from Ecuador, whitefish from India and Myanmar, salmon from Norway, crab from Chile, and squid from Russia.

Recently, however, China’s trade partners have begun to push back. They claim the country’s concerns are unfounded while denouncing the measures’ negative impact on trade and questioning the Chinese government’s true intent.

China trade: Growing concern amongst South American producers

In recent years, China has become South America’s largest buyer of beef, accounting for an estimated 75 and 58 percent of Argentina and Brazil’s exports, respectively. While trade has remained robust during the pandemic, producers are starting to worry about Chinese authorities’ increased scrutiny and testing of imported meat.

The measures implemented by China include the ‘complete elimination’ and ‘strict refusal of entry’ of any products suspected to have had contact with the virus. Exporters whose products test positive face a week-long ban, extended to a month for offenders with three strikes or more. Further to this, in early November, China’s State Council established a plan requiring comprehensive disinfection measures for imported foods before they...