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 covers two Cargill facilities and one plant each run by Louis Dreyfus Co., CHS Agronegocios and 3Tentos Agroindustrial. Four of the plants are in São 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.
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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.