Imported inventory exceeds one million tons, and beef cattle prices have fallen to the lowest level in 12 years! Who will 'safeguard' this domestic industry?

In recent years, with the continuous deepening of global trade and the increasing demand for domestic consumption, the beef industry, as an important component of animal husbandry, plays a crucial role in enhancing the supply guarantee capacity of beef, increasing farmers' income, consolidating the achievements of poverty alleviation, comprehensively promoting rural revitalization, and promoting social stability and development. However, the significant increase in China's beef imports has had a certain impact on the development of both the upstream and downstream of the domestic beef industry.

The dilemma of domestic beef cattle industry is highlighted

The domestic beef cattle industry involves the livelihoods of millions of rural households, with over 7.1 million breeders, mostly located in southwestern, northwestern, northeastern regions, and is a pillar industry in many poverty-stricken areas. However, in recent years, the domestic beef industry has faced many difficulties. Liu Qiangde, Deputy Secretary General of the China Animal Husbandry Association, said: "Domestic beef prices and beef cattle prices have experienced a cliff like decline in recent years. Since 2023, the cumulative decline in beef prices has reached 22%, and the cumulative decline in beef cattle prices has reached 28%. Especially beef cattle prices, they once fell to the lowest level since 2013." The reporter learned that after 2024, the domestic industry will suffer losses, and many breeding cows will be slaughtered. In 2024, the inventory of breeding cows will decrease by about 3%, seriously shaking the foundation of the domestic industry. Data shows that from January to October 2025, the import inventory of beef will exceed 1 million tons. If no safeguard measures are introduced, many beef cattle breeders will lose market confidence and slaughter basic cows on a large scale.

As one of the domestic chain brands of fresh beef hotpot, Shanghai Zuotingyuan has a profound sense of the impact of imported beef on the domestic beef industry. The relevant person in charge of the Left Court and Right Court stated: "In recent years, due to the relatively cheap import of beef and its products, a large number of restaurants have used imported meat, and the proportion of imported meat has greatly increased, which has dealt a heavy blow to the domestic beef industry and affected downstream users of domestic beef." The investigation of safeguard measures brings hope. In order to protect the domestic industry from the impact of the surge in imports, the domestic industry strongly calls for the introduction of safeguard measures before the end of the year and their immediate implementation. Safeguard measures are one of the trade remedy tools allowed by the World Trade Organization. If there is a surge in imports that causes serious damage to domestic industries, measures such as increasing tariffs and quantity restrictions can be taken to protect domestic industries. The Ministry of Commerce issued a notice on December 27, 2024, deciding to launch a global safeguard measures investigation on imported beef. The amount involved in this case is approximately 13.7 billion US dollars, making it the largest trade remedy investigation case in China to date. The main importers of beef in China include Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. The Ministry of Commerce issued two extension notices on August 6 and November 25, 2025, respectively, extending the investigation period of this case to January 26, 2026. It is reported that the Ministry of Commerce has notified the World Trade Organization of the ruling conclusion on December 19th and disclosed the basic facts on which the ruling is based to all stakeholders. We are currently conducting intensive consultations with major exporting countries. With the continuous advancement of the investigation into safeguard measures by the Ministry of Commerce, the confidence of domestic industries in resuming development is gradually increasing. Zhang Xiuqing, Director of the Regional and Industrial Economics Research Department and Senior Economist at the China International Economic Exchange Center, said, "Due to the good resource endowment and low production costs of major producing countries, they have strong competitiveness, and a large number of imports will inevitably have a certain impact on the domestic industry. Under the current situation, launching beef trade protection measures as soon as possible can not only ensure domestic beef supply, but also buy time and leave space for the development of the domestic beef industry." Multiple measures are taken to protect industrial development. While the investigation of protection measures is steadily advancing, the domestic beef industry is also actively exploring the path of transformation and upgrading. When talking about the future development of the domestic beef industry, Zhang Xiuqing mentioned that scale, quality, branding, and intelligence are the directions for the development of the beef industry. Currently and in the future, China's beef industry has reached a critical period of transformation and development. We should have a rational understanding, adhere to market orientation, increase policy support, and guide the beef industry to overcome difficulties, upgrade and improve efficiency. Zhang Xiuqing suggested that firstly, we should continue to promote the transformation and upgrading of the domestic beef industry. There is still a gap in the supply and demand of beef in our country. We should accelerate the transformation of production methods, develop moderate scale standardized breeding, and promote cost saving, quality improvement, and efficiency enhancement throughout the entire chain. Support technology research and innovation, including variety improvement, feed efficiency enhancement, slaughter and processing technology progress, etc., to improve industrial technology level and product quality.

Secondly, it is necessary to cultivate and enhance the competitiveness of leading slaughter and processing enterprises. Supporting the development of modern slaughter and processing industries in advantageous production areas for beef cattle breeding, promoting slaughter standardization, guiding enterprises to build high standard workshops, and purchasing and updating advanced equipment. Encourage enterprises to develop new technologies and products to reduce waste. Promote enterprises to establish their own brands and increase product added value. Encourage upstream and downstream enterprises to cooperate and establish alliances to jointly respond to market changes and industry challenges. Once again, we need to improve the policy support and guarantee system. Various regions provide appropriate subsidies based on actual conditions to reduce losses in aquaculture. Improve fiscal and financial support measures, stabilize basic production capacity, and strengthen credit insurance policy support. The healthy development of the domestic beef industry is related to the livelihoods of farmers, stable and safe supply of beef, and sustainable agricultural development. Against the backdrop of a surge in imported beef, the promotion of safeguard measures and the implementation of policies are crucial for the survival and development of domestic industries. We hope that all parties can work together to promote industrial transformation and upgrading, and provide consumers with high-quality products.