Mexican Meat Producers Clash Over Brazilian Meat Imports

Meat producers are calling for limits on Brazilian meat imports, warning of market distortions and biosecurity risks. Meanwhile, industry groups argue the imports help contain prices and support consumer demand.

Jorge Iván Espinosa, Executive President, Mexican Pork Producers Organization (OPORMEX), stressed that all imports from countries without trade agreements must be handled with technical caution. Allowing indiscriminate inflows from regions without sanitary equivalence or harmonized traceability poses a serious biosecurity risk, in addition to undermining price stability for both producers and consumers.

He also explained that the volumes of Brazilian meat imports do not correlate with the prices monitored by PROFECO and place the domestic sector in a very difficult position by distorting the meat market. “The fight against inflation cannot compromise animal health or the competitiveness of the sector, especially when high import volumes have not generated direct benefits for consumers and, on the contrary, have destabilized the market,” Espinosa said.

The National Confederation of Livestock Organizations (CNOG) warned that excessive imports of meat from Brazil are displacing domestic production and putting around 750,000 Mexican producers at risk. The organization noted that between January and October, 100,000mt of beef were imported from Brazil, and that by year-end the figure will reach 120,000mt.

Against this backdrop, Homero García, President, CNOG, proposed establishing an annual maximum quota of 70,000mt for meat imports from countries with which Mexico does not have a free trade agreement. For pork, he called for maintaining the quota at 51,000mt.

García warned that imports from countries without trade agreements with Mexico are displacing traditional suppliers, despite the fact that the national cattle sector has maintained a trade surplus for a decade and has sufficient capacity to fully supply the domestic market.

In addition, ranchers offered to place nearly 420,000 head of export-quality cattle on the domestic market. These animals have not been shipped abroad due to the unilateral closure of live cattle trade by the United States government as a result of the screwworm outbreak. In this regard, Mexican authorities say the problem is under control and that trade is close to reopening, as reported by MBN.

In contrast to these statements, Macarena Hernández, Director General, Mexican Meat Council (COMECARNE), said that the inclusion of meat products in the Anti-Inflation and High Prices Package (PACIC), which includes the importation of Brazilian meat, has halted the price surge for Mexican consumers. According to Hernández, prices for meat from the South American country are 23% lower than those of similar products from the United States.

In this context, Hernández urged the Mexican government to maintain the inclusion of meat products in the PACIC. “The information we have is that they are about to eliminate the zero tariff on beef and pork from the decree and will publish other instruments such as import quotas. This means that only a certain volume of meat products will be allowed to enter duty-free, but it is not known how much or when,” she said.

COMECARNE estimates that meat consumption among Mexican households will close 2025 at 11.2 million mt, representing growth of 4.2% compared to the 10.7 million mt reported in 2024. Hernández emphasized that protein intake has posted growth of more than 4% for four consecutive years. However, the outlook for 2026 points to a slowdown, with consumption expected to reach 11.5 million mt, an increase of 2.7%.

The director highlighted that the strong performance of meat consumption this year and in previous years is directly linked to the increased purchasing power of lower-income households, driven by factors such as government support programs, minimum wage increases, and remittances.