China has banned soy imports from specific Brazilian plants after detecting pesticide-treated wheat in soy cargo. Beijing is ramping up purchases from US farms following trade talks.
China's General Administration of Customs has halted soy imports from five Brazilian processing plants as part of a food safety probe. The ban covers two facilities operated by Cargill and one plant each run by Louis Dreyfus Co., CHS Agronegocios, and 3Tentos Agroindustrial. Four of the plants are in São Paulo state, and one is in Rio Grande do Sul.
The decision comes as Beijing ramps up purchases from US farms following recent trade talks. Chinese food safety rules detected pesticide-treated wheat in the soy cargo from Brazil. Brazilian exporters and the Brazilian embassy have noted the issue, but no official response has been issued yet. Parties in São Paulo and Brasilia are assessing the impact.
The US Department of Agriculture reports indicate that American soybeans could benefit from this shift. The move underscores China's emphasis on import food safety while highlighting progress in US-China trade negotiations.