China suspended the fifth Brazilian meatpacking plant in less than a week

On the 20th, China announced that as of the following day, the Masterboi unit in São Geraldo do Araguaia in Pará would not be able to export beef to the country. The General Customs Administration of China (GACC) statement, published on the organization’s official website, does not clarify the reasons behind the suspension nor indicates a possible date on which suspensions will be lifted.

This is the fifth meatpacking unit from Brazil that China suspended in less than a week. On the 15th, GACC reported that four units – two from Marfrig, one from JBS, and one from Naturafrig – would be suspended for a week after Chinese inspectors claimed to have found traces of nucleic acid from the new coronavirus in the external package of products from these companies.

In addition to these four units, JBS’s meatpacking plant in Mozarlândia (GO) also appears on the Ministry of Agriculture’s list as suspended for beef exports. The measure was announced in March. In addition, China prevented another three poultry slaughtering plants from exporting to China this year, two in January and one in March: São Salvador, from Itaberaí (GO), Bello Alimentos, from Itaquiraí (MS), and BRF, from Lucas do Rio Verde. (MT).

Before that, in December 2021, the BRF plant located in Marau (RS) was also suspended. In addition, Minuano, from Lajeado (RS), and Cooperativa Aurora, from Xaxim (SC), were suspended in 2020 and continue without shipping poultry meat to China, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

“Totally unknown reasons,” says Masterboi

On the night of the 20th, Masterboi expressed surprise at China’s decision to halt beef purchases from the Pará facility. In a statement to Valor, the firm stated that it has yet to receive notification from the Ministry of Agriculture about the measure, the reasons for which are “still completely unknown.”

Source: Valor Econômico

To read the full original article, please go to:

https://valor.globo.com/agronegocios/noticia/2022/04/20/china-suspende-quinto-frigorifico-brasileiro-em-menos-de-uma-semana.ghtml

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