(Yicai Global) Dec. 16 -- Brazilian beef can once again enter China after a more than three-month import suspension due to mad cow disease.

Chinese authorities allowed Brazilian imports of frozen boneless beef from cattle under 30 months of age yesterday, the General Administration of Customs of China announced.

The pause has been longer than expected. On Sept. 4, the South American country's agricultural ministry confirmed two cases of atypical mad cow disease. That month, several Chinese meat importers had said to Yicai Global that they were predicting the import break to last for about two weeks.

It might take a while for new Brazilian beef products to reach Chinese tables. The first batch of products should reach China after Chinese New Year next February as transport is slow, senior meat importer Wang Zhixin said to Yicai Global.

China has been the world’s largest beef importer since 2019, and Brazil is its biggest partner in this regard. China's beef imports rose almost 28 percent to 2.1 million tons last year, and 40 percent of that was Brazilian meat.

This is not the first such incident. In June 2019, China suspended Brazilian beef imports for 10 days after the South American country reported one atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy case.

Editor: Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi