Brazil Beef-Packers Say They’ll Lose $1B If U.S. Tariffs Apply

Brazil’s beef-packing industry could face $1 billion in losses if the United States imposes a 50% tariff on Brazilian beef exports, according to Abiec, a trade group representing major firms like JBS and Marfrig, Ana Mano reported for Reuters.

A Marfig production line. (Photo: Marfrig)

The U.S. is Brazil’s second-largest beef export destination after China. Roberto Perosa, head of Abiec, said Brazilian producers had expected to export roughly 400,000 tons to the U.S. by year’s end, but such tariffs would make sales “inviable.”

No other market can immediately replace the U.S. in terms of both volume and pricing power, he added.

In the first half of 2025, Brazil exported approximately 181,000 metric tons of beef worth $1 billion to the U.S.—around 12% of its total beef exports.

That represented a 113% increase in volume and a 102% increase in revenue compared to the same period last year, driven by strong demand for Brazilian beef, much of which is processed into hamburger meat for the U.S. market.

Speaking at a live event, Perosa said industry representatives are in talks with U.S. lawmakers in hopes of averting enforcement of the new tariffs, scheduled to take effect August 1.

He warned that cutting off Brazilian beef could fuel domestic inflation in the U.S., where cattle supplies remain tight and reliance on imports has increased.