--- title: Australia Has Already Filled 50% of its 2026 Beef Safeguard Quota description: As of March 25, Australia has been on track to export a record monthly volume of chilled and frozen beef. Exporters are pushing products to maximize their opportunities before the 2026 quota is filled and tariffs kick in. image: https://news.mtflogistics.com.au/hubfs/beaf2-1.jpg --- [Skip to content](https://news.mtflogistics.com.au/mtf-logistics-pty-ltd-blog/australia-has-already-filled-50-of-its-2026-beef-safeguard-quota#main-content) ![](https://news.mtflogistics.com.au/hs-fs/hubfs/beaf2-1.jpg?width=275&height=183&name=beaf2-1.jpg) # Australia Has Already Filled 50% of its 2026 Beef Safeguard Quota ![Daniel](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e) Daniel April 7, 2026 ![beefquota](https://442310841.fs1.hubspotusercontent-ap1.net/hub/442310841/hubfs/beefquota.jpg?width=1200&length=1200&name=beefquota.jpg) As of March 25, Australia has been on track to export a record monthly volume of chilled and frozen beef. Exporters are pushing products to maximize their opportunities before the 2026 quota is filled and tariffs kick in. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce has reported that Australian beef has already reached 50% of the 2026 beef safeguard quota of 205,000 tonnes. A tariff of 55% will apply from the third day after the date of filling the safeguard quota. Estimates indicate that Australia will be filling its quota anytime between mid-May and early June. In the data to be released by DAFF, it’s likely that Australia will export the largest monthly volume on record as exporters compete to beat the looming safeguard quota. The current surge of exports is driven by the regulatory race to beat the 2026 safeguard quota set by China. The safeguard quota set on January 1 at 205,000 tonnes, a 90,000-tonne reduction from the 2025 total beef shipments. The Free Trade Agreement with China capped the safeguard tariff at 12%. However, the hefty 55% doesn’t make sense at all for Australian beef, which explains the astronomical volumes in recent weeks. The big question is how Australian beef seamlessly pivots to the rest of the world after the China quota. Australia has a strong demand for beef from other Asian markets such as Japan and South Korea. It’s easier to manage the volume for each of these markets if the quota is reached. ## Share this post [mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fnews.mtflogistics.com.au%2Fmtf-logistics-pty-ltd-blog%2Faustralia-has-already-filled-50-of-its-2026-beef-safeguard-quota](mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fnews.mtflogistics.com.au%2Fmtf-logistics-pty-ltd-blog%2Faustralia-has-already-filled-50-of-its-2026-beef-safeguard-quota) ## Keep reading ### [![](https://news.mtflogistics.com.au/hs-fs/hubfs/21.jpg?width=6720&height=4480&name=21.jpg) Australia Working to Double Horticulture Exports](https://news.mtflogistics.com.au/mtf-logistics-pty-ltd-blog/australia-working-to-double-horticulture-exports) ### [![](https://news.mtflogistics.com.au/hs-fs/hubfs/20-1.jpg?width=6000&height=3000&name=20-1.jpg) Australian Exports to Iraq Post a 97.5% Drop in Q2](https://news.mtflogistics.com.au/mtf-logistics-pty-ltd-blog/australian-exports-to-iraq-post-a-97.5-drop-in-q2) [MTF Logistics](https://www.mtflogistics.com.au/) [Sea Freight](https://www.mtflogistics.com.au/sea-freight/) [Air Freight](https://www.mtflogistics.com.au/air-freight/) [Customs Clearance](https://www.mtflogistics.com.au/customs-clearance/) [Freight Forwarding](https://www.mtflogistics.com.au/freight-forwarding/) [Guides](https://www.mtflogistics.com.au/category/freight-logistics-insights/) [Get a Quote](https://www.mtflogistics.com.au/start/) ## About MTF Logistics MTF Logistics is an owner-managed freight forwarder based in North Sydney, operating since 2014. We handle [sea freight](https://www.mtflogistics.com.au/sea-freight/) (FCL and LCL), [air freight](https://www.mtflogistics.com.au/air-freight/), [customs clearance](https://www.mtflogistics.com.au/customs-clearance/), export documentation and project cargo through Port Botany, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Fremantle, with delivery Australia-wide. Call 1300 710 683 or [get a quote](https://www.mtflogistics.com.au/start/). ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Daniel", "url" : "https://news.mtflogistics.com.au/mtf-logistics-pty-ltd-blog/author/daniel" }, "dateModified" : "2026-04-07T21:10:57.713Z", "datePublished" : "2026-04-07T21:10:57.000Z", "headline" : "Australia Has Already Filled 50% of its 2026 Beef Safeguard Quota", "image" : [ "https://news.mtflogistics.com.au/hubfs/beaf2-1.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://news.mtflogistics.com.au/mtf-logistics-pty-ltd-blog/australia-has-already-filled-50-of-its-2026-beef-safeguard-quota", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject" } } } ```