Brazil beef sector sees progress in talks to open Japan, South Korea markets

Brazil’s beef export industry expects diplomatic engagement by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to help advance long-standing negotiations with two major markets that remain closed to Brazilian beef: Japan and South Korea.

Together, the two countries import more than 1 million tonnes of beef per year, mainly from the United States and Australia.

Access to those markets could help Brazil diversify shipments and add value to certain cuts at a time when the sector faces pressure from quota restrictions imposed by China, Brazil’s largest customer.

Industry representatives see the Japanese market as the most promising in the near term. Talks with South Korea are considered less advanced and are unlikely to be concluded in 2026, despite recent progress.

The strategy has previously worked in Vietnam. The country opened its market to Brazilian beef in March 2025 after a visit by Lula, during which Brazil made concessions including authorizing imports of Vietnamese tilapia. Eight Brazilian meatpacking plants were approved and have already begun exporting to Vietnam.

In February this year, Lula visited Seoul and again pushed for the opening of the Korean market during meetings with political and business leaders.

“Brazil has been working for 15 years to gain access to the Korean beef market. Bulgogi, the traditional Korean barbecue, pairs well with high-quality beef such as Brazil’s,” Lula said in a speech during the visit.

“We are ready to move forward with the necessary sanitary procedures so that Brazilian beef can reach the Korean consumer,” he added.

In January 2026, Brazil’s global beef exports reached 15,564 TEUs, marking a 16.8% year-on-year increase. The primary drivers for this growth were the China (+4.8%), United States (+73.5%), and Egypt (+201%) markets.

The following chart provides a detailed breakdown of Brazil’s monthly beef export performance across all international destinations since January 2023. Figures are sourced from DataLiner:

Beef Exports | Jan 2023 – Jan 2026 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Korean audit expected

Following the diplomatic push, South Korea committed to sending a mission to Brazil to conduct a sanitary audit later this year.

“The news is positive. We have planted the seeds for market opening because they committed to coming to Brazil,” said Roberto Perosa, president of the Brazilian Beef Exporters Association (Abiec).

Although no date has yet been set, Perosa said the Korean visit could give an important boost to negotiations.

Once the in-person audit is completed by one of the two government agencies responsible for sanitary evaluations, the remaining steps would be largely administrative.

“After that visit, the process becomes mainly documentary. If they wanted to open the market in a month, they could,” he said.

Even so, industry officials expect any opening to occur only from 2027 onward.

South Korea imports about 600,000 tonnes of beef per year, primarily from the United States and Australia.

In addition to auditing Brazil’s sanitary system for beef exports, South Korea also pledged to open its market to Brazilian egg exports.

Brazil’s Agriculture Ministry said bilateral discussions have also progressed in other areas. Luis Rua, secretary of trade and international relations at the ministry, noted that South Korea confirmed audits related to grape exports and new approvals for facilities exporting animal-origin meals and pork.

Officials also expect a response within three weeks regarding the authorization of 15 additional Brazilian poultry plants, which would increase the number of approved facilities by about one-third if confirmed.

Japan to send technical mission

Japan is also expected to send a technical mission to audit Brazil’s sanitary system between the last week of March and the first week of April, according to people familiar with the discussions. Japanese authorities requested discretion regarding the schedule.

The inspection will focus on three southern Brazilian states, despite Brazil’s request to include Rondônia and Acre. The Agriculture Ministry recently submitted detailed responses to a preliminary questionnaire outlining Brazil’s inspection procedures.

Sources involved in the talks said a potential opening of the Japanese market may take into account Mercosur’s position in negotiations with Japan.

Argentina already has authorization to export beef from the Patagonia region, although that area accounts for only about 2% of the country’s herd. Uruguay already supplies beef to Japan, and Paraguay has begun negotiations.

People familiar with the process believe that any approval for Brazil is likely to come as part of a broader package covering the South American bloc rather than as an isolated decision.

Brazil’s sanitary status — being free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination — could work in its favor compared with Argentina.

At the same time, analysts say the decision may depend partly on political coordination between Tokyo and Washington. The United States is Japan’s main beef supplier and faces growing competition in the market amid ongoing trade tensions.

Japan is currently experiencing rising food inflation. With the economy stagnating, consumers’ purchasing power has weakened, affecting beef consumption. Beef is already more expensive than chicken in Japan — to an even greater degree than in Brazil — which could make competitively priced Brazilian beef more attractive if the market opens.

Source: Globo Rural

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