Coronavirus

Slowdown in U.S. beef production could benefit Brazil

brazilian beef
Photo: Rafael Goes/Shutterstock

With the U.S. beef industry slowing down production due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Brazil could benefit from the gap left in the market. The structure of the Brazilian industry — composed of more concentrated, smaller sites — could be an asset in a moment in which social distancing is key to containing the pandemic. Beef and pork could be the two worst-hit industries in the U.S. — with a shortage in production of 13 and 45 percent respectively in the country since last week. Together, Brazil and the US produce nearly half of all the meat consumed worldwide.