China and the United States fueled the significant growth of Brazilian beef exports in April, continuing the expansion trend seen since early 2025. Export volume reached 273.4 thousand tons for the month, a 15.3% increase over the same period last year, generating USD 1.33 billion in revenue, a 27.6% rise.
China remained the top buyer, purchasing 107.8 thousand tons in April, or 39.4% of all Brazilian beef exports. The United States, meanwhile, saw a remarkable 498% surge in imports, rising from 7.99 thousand tons in April 2024 to nearly 48 thousand tons in April this year.
The sharp increase in sales to the U.S. market stems from supply shortages caused by the country’s livestock downcycle — with the smallest herd in decades — and the population’s need for alternative meat sources.
“This result confirms not only the scale of the current protein deficit across North America but also that the positive conditions for Brazilian beef exports remain intact, even amid tariff barriers imposed by major buyers,” said consulting firm Datagro in a press release.
To further strengthen its presence in the Chinese market, the Brazilian Beef Exporters Association (Abiec), in partnership with the Brazilian Association of Animal Protein (ABPA) and with support from the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil), inaugurated a joint office in Beijing last week, dedicated to Brazilian animal protein business.
April’s accelerated export growth deepens a trend that began at the start of the year. Data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) show that the first quarter of 2025 had already posted record figures, with 9.71 million head of cattle slaughtered — a 3.8% increase over the same period in 2024 and the highest first-quarter volume ever recorded. Carcass beef production reached 2.45 million tons in the first three months of the year, up 1.6% compared to Q1 2024.
Driven especially by Chinese and U.S. demand, Brazil exported 949.9 thousand tons of beef from January to April, a 13.5% increase year-over-year. Revenue reached USD 4.55 billion, a 23.7% rise. In this favorable scenario, propelled primarily by the two global economic giants, Abiec maintains a forecast of 10% to 12% growth in beef exports for 2025.
Regarding new plant approvals for exports to China, Abiec president Roberto Perosa said that the current understanding between Brazil and China is that this should happen by the end of the year or in 2026.