China has halted imports of soybeans from five Brazilian exporters after inspectors found pesticide-treated wheat mixed into a cargo bound for Beijing, officials from both countries said on Thursday.
The suspension by China's General Administration of Customs was communicated to Brazil's agriculture ministry on Wednesday and made public on Thursday.
The ban cover s two Cargill facilities and one plant each run by Louis Dreyfus Co., CHS Agronegocios and 3Tentos Agroindustrial. Four of the plants are in Sao Paulo state. One is in Rio Grande do Sul.
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Inspectors in China discovered the contamination during checks at a port. The ship Shine Ruby was carrying about 69,000 tonnes of soybeans. Inside the hold, they found roughly ten tonnes of wheat treated with a chemical coating not authorised for food or animal feed.
The customs agency called it a "serious violation" of Chinese food safety rules. It said the pesticide involved is only approved for seed treatment and is considered toxic if consumed. Wheat from Brazil is not cleared for import to China, adding to the breach.
In a letter to the Brazilian embassy in Beijing, the agency said the decision was made to protect public health and ensure the safety of imports. The order took effect on Thursday and applies only to the listed facilities. Other plants run by the same companies remain cleared to export.
Cargill, Louis Dreyfus, CHS and 3Tentos did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The action came as China increased purchases of American soybeans after new trade talks between Washington and Beijing.
The US Department of Agriculture reported this week that Chinese buyers signed contracts for at least ten to twelve shipments of soybeans from the United States, valued at about US$300 million. Each cargo carries around 60,000 tonnes and is set to sail in January from Gulf and Pacific northwest ports.
The deals followed a phone call on Monday between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, during which Trump asked Xi to increase and speed up farm purchases and that Xi "more or less agreed".
Washington said China has committed to buy 12 million tonnes of US soybeans this year, rising to 25 million tonnes in the coming years. Analysts said the timing fits a seasonal pattern. Brazil's exports slow during its planting season, giving US suppliers a short window to fill orders.
Despite that uptick, Brazil remains China's main source of soybeans. Between January and October, Brazil exported 94 million tonnes of the crop, including about 73 million tonnes to China.
In Brasilia, the agriculture ministry said on Friday it had received China's notice and called the affected companies for a review.
"Brazil maintains high standards of plant heal th and food safety," the ministry said in a statement, adding it would work with Chinese officials to resolve the issue.
The suspended facilities account for less than 0.1 per cent of Brazil's export capacity. Officials expect soybean exports to China to exceed 100 million tonnes this year.
A worker inspects soybeans during harvesting near the town of Campos Lindos, Brazil. Photo: Reuters alt=A worker inspects soybeans during harvesting near the town of Campos Lindos, Brazil. Photo: Reuters>
China said the ban will remain until the companies complete investigations into the contamination and adopt corrective measures verified by Brazilian authorities.
Customs officials reminded Brazil that similar problems occurred in December last year and in January, when pesticide-coated s oybeans were detected in separate shipments.
Those suspensions were lifted after Brazil introduced corrective measures in April.
China is Brazil's largest agricultural customer, buying more than three-quarters of its soybean exports. The trade was worth over 31 billion reais this year.
This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Copyright (c) 2025. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
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