The Chinese beef industry is calling on regulatory authorities to take protective measures as soon as possible.

In recent years, the market share of imported beef in the domestic market has significantly increased, putting more pressure on China's beef industry chain. Industry associations, companies, and farmers expressed the hope that relevant departments will quickly introduce beef safeguard measures to stabilize market expectations, safeguard the development of the industry, and protect the livelihoods of farmers. Some farmers have stated that with the increasing market share of imported beef, the selling price of calves has decreased, leading to losses in mother cow farming. Some breeders have had to slaughter mother cows to alleviate operating pressures. On December 27, 2024, the Ministry of Commerce issued Announcement No. 60 of 2024, deciding to initiate a safeguard investigation into imported beef. Despite the ongoing investigation, import volumes from January to October 2025 are still increasing, and import stocks have reached as high as 1 million tons. Liu Qiangde stated that with imported beef still remaining high, not only the breeding end but also the domestic feed, animal protection products, and the entire downstream beef processing supply chain will be affected. It has now come to a critical moment for the introduction of safeguard measures. Liu Qiangde said, "The Ministry of Commerce has already postponed twice, and we understand the caution and technical considerations of the investigating authority. However, industry practitioners have extremely high hopes for the introduction of measures. Our association strongly urges the investigating authority to introduce beef safeguard measures before the end of 2025 and implement them immediately."