China to Inspect 84 Brazil Meatpacking Plants for Export Clearance

China will dispatch teams to inspect 84 meatpacking plants in Brazil to evaluate them for exports to China, Brazil’s Agriculture Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

Brazilian Agriculture Minister Blairo Maggi is currently visiting Beijing and confirmed with China’s Commerce Minister Zhong Shan that inspectors will be sent at the end of the month.

“The expectation is that the Asian country will open up a good part of these meatpacking plants for export,” the ministry said in the statement.

A ministry spokeswoman declined to name which plants or companies were involved. The statement did not specify what type of meat the plants process.

Maggi expressed hope that the two countries could resolve many of the issues involved in Brazil’s 102 complaints against China pending with the World Trade Organization, according to the statement.

Maggi and Brazil’s delegation also met with Chairman Zhao Shuanglian of COFCO, China’s largest food processor and trader, according to the minister’s Facebook page. The ministry did not provide further details on the meeting.