Australian beef will soon be subject to an additional 55 per cent import duty in China, with shipments of the meat about to surpass an annual quota set by Beijing, China’s Ministry of Commerce confirmed on Tuesday.
The policy sets an annual quota for beef imported from a string of countries – including Australia, Argentina, Brazil, New Zealand, Uruguay and the United States – with a 55 per cent levy kicking in once the quota is reached.
Under the system, 205,000 tonnes of Australian beef could be imported to China with low tariffs in 2026. Chinese authorities will begin charging the 55 per cent duty three days after the threshold is passed, the ministry said.
In 2023, domestic beef was selling for about 77 yuan (US$11.40) per kilogram on average in China, but that fell to 71.3 yuan in December and just 66.38 yuan in late May, data from SCI showed.