China halts imports from two more Brazil meat plants amid COVID-19 concerns
SAO PAULO/BRASILIA (Reuters) – China has suspended imports from two Brazilian pork plants owned by meatpackers JBS SA (JBSS3.SA) and BRF SA (BRFS3.SA), according to the Chinese customs authority, as it cracks down on meat shipments amid concerns about the new coronavirus.
China is temporarily halting imports from a BRF plant in Lajeado and a JBS-owned Seara brand plant in Tres Passos, both in Brazil’s southern Rio Grande do Sul state, according to a posting dated Saturday on the General Administration of Customs China (GACC) website.
The posting, which only identified the plants by registration numbers, gives no reason for the suspension. But Brazil is reeling from the second worst COVID-19 outbreak in the world behind the United States.
China is the largest buyer of Brazilian pork, beef and chicken. It has requested that meat exporters globally certify their products are coronavirus free, which BRF, JBS and other Brazilian meatpackers have already done.
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