China imposes embargo on meat from three Brazilian processing plants

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) announced yesterday in a statement on its website to suspend imports of two Brazilian frigorific of beef and one dedicated to the production of chicken meat. According to the agency, the measure enters into force this Friday and is valid for one week.

The provisional list of embargoes includes the JBS unit in Mozarlândia (GO), the Marfrig in Tangará da Serra (MT), both for beef, and the chicken factory Zanchetta in Boituva (SP).

Thursday’s announcement also included the suspension of two Uruguayan meatpacking plants. Chinese authorities have not commented on why they took this action.

Since the pandemic began, the GACC has suspended meatpacking plants in Brazil and other countries, though the reasons for the measures have not always been detailed.

In some cases, the action would have been taken preemptively after cargo tested positive for Covid-19, although there is no evidence of contamination with the new coronavirus through food ingestion.

The Chinese agency did not elaborate on the reasons for the embargoes imposed this year. In January, the GACC suspended imports from the Itaberaí (GO)-based São Salvador Alimentos plant, owner of Super Frango, and the Itaquiraí (MS)-based Bello Alimentos unit, parent company of the Frango Bello brand.

The JBS plant in Mozarlândia, one of the company’s most prominent in the country, is another example of the Chinese embargoes. On March 11, GACC announced that it would not buy meat from that plant for a week, nor the Frialto plant in Matupá (MT).

However, two weeks later, the Chinese made a new announcement saying that the meat processing plant in Goiás would be suspended indefinitely.

When asked, Marfrig preferred not to comment on the matter. Valor also reached out to JBS and Zanchetta, who had not yet returned as this issue went to press.

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