Writing in today’s Agri Commodities Daily Alert Comm Bank’s Tobin Gorey said six Marfrig plants and four JBS SA plants had now been cleared to export. The first Marfrig shipment reportedly left on Sunday, he said. 

Brazil is exporting to the US under the shared 64,800 tonne other countries quota. About 53 percent the quota has already been filled for the year. 

“Beyond that, further exports in 2016 will depend on whether Brazilian prices and exchange rates are low enough to continue to ship at a 26.4pc tariff,” Mr Gorey said.

Today’s news follows last week’s announcement that two Minerva meatworks had been granted access to the same market. CLICK HERE to read that story. A total of 16 Brazilian meatworks have now been granted access. 

Brazil will share the US ‘other countries’ quota with Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.

Australia has its own 418,200 tonne a year US quota.

Marfrig is the third-largest Brazilian food processing company, after JBS and Brasil Foods. 

Marfrig’s Australian presence includes Keystone Foods at Coominya, which specialised in frozen beef products.

JBS Australia is the largest meat processing company in Australia, with 10 processing facilities and five feedlots stretched from Townsville in north Queensland to Devonport in Tasmania. JBS has a daily processing capacity of more than 8000 cattle and 21,000 small stock.