File Photo: VCG

Brazil has suspended the exports of beef to China after confirming two atypical cases of mad cow disease, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday, citing a government statement. Analysts said it will not significantly affect China's beef market and beef imports.

China's domestic beef production is able to meet the market's demand and does not heavily rely on imports, so Brazil halting beef exports will not have any crucial impact on the Chinese market and beef imports, Gao Guan, deputy director of the China Meat Association (CMA), told the Global Times on Sunday.

According to the government statement, the temporary suspension started on Saturday and was declared in accordance with health protocols between the two countries.

China is an important market for Brazilian beef, with the beef exports and sales to China accounting for 60 percent of Brazil's total beef exports and sales in the first half of 2021, CCTV reported on Sunday. 

In 2020, China has imported beef from 29 countries including Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Australia, and New Zealand, and Brazil was the largest source of imports, with an import volume of 848,400 tons, accounting 40 percent of the total beef imports globally, according to a report released by the research agency Forward - the Economist.