Source: Bloomberg
Brazilian beef exporters could face a $1 billion hit on sales in the second half of 2025 if US President Donald Trump moves forward Friday with a plan to impose 50% tariffs on the country’s exports, according to industry group Abiec, which represents companies including JBS NV.
The proposed levies would severely restrict the world’s largest beef supplier from shipping to the US, with no alternative markets ready to absorb the displaced volumes, Abiec head Roberto Perosa said in an interview with Exame. Brazil had initially been expected to more than double exports to the US to about 400,000 metric tons this year, he said.
Red meat prices have surged due to a steep cattle shortage
The US has purchased record volumes of lean beef from Brazil for ground beef blending as a severe shortage of cattle has constrained domestic supplies, sending grocery store prices skyrocketing. A ban on cattle imports from Mexico due to concerns over a parasitic bug has further tightened availability in the world’s largest consumer.
Brazil exported about 180,000 metric tons of beef to the US in the first half of 2025 — more than double the volume seen a year earlier, according to government data.
The new levies would come on top of existing tariffs that most Brazilian beef shipments are already subject to, bringing the total to more than 76%, according to Perosa.
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