Brazil Says Soy Shipments to China From Five Firms Halted Due to Contamination [Video]

By Laurie Chen, Mei Mei Chu, Ella Cao, Naveen Thukral and Ana Mano

BEIJING/SAO PAULO, Jan 22 (Reuters) – China, the world’s biggest soybean buyer, has stopped receiving Brazilian soybean shipments from five firms after cargoes did not meet plant health requirements, according to a statement from the Brazilian government confirming what Reuters had learned from two sources on Wednesday.

The phytosanitary-related suspension comes as Brazil has been bolstering its share of the world’s biggest soybean market at the expense of the No. 2 exporter, the U.S.

It’s also an unexpected twist in the global agricultural supply chain, as U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s threats of renewed tariffs against Chinese imports have increased geopolitical tensions between the world’s top two economies.

The Brazilian agriculture ministry said the “non-conformity” notice it received from China’s General Administration of Customs (GACC) refers to five Brazilian companies, which the ministry did not name.

One of the sources told …