CHICAGO, Illinois: U.S. beef exports to China have experienced a sudden slowdown, as a lapse in Chinese regulatory approvals and ongoing trade tensions have thrown the once-growing trade into uncertainty.

New data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that weekly beef sales to China have plummeted, falling to just 54 metric tons in the week ending March 20. That's a sharp drop from levels seen earlier this year, when sales regularly hovered near or above 2,000 metric tons.

At the center of the slowdown is Beijing's decision not to renew export registrations for U.S. beef facilities, which expired on March 16. While China extended similar approvals for U.S. pork and poultry plants, hundreds of beef facilities were left without renewed clearance, making American exporters and Chinese buyers hesitant to move forward with new deals.

"Nobody wants to put product at risk," said Joe Schuele, spokesperson for the U.S. Meat Export Federation.

In the week before the registrations lapsed, sales had already fallen to 192 metric tons, as uncertainty over China's decision began to weigh on trading activity.

The drop is particularly concerning for U.S. meatpackers, such as Tyson Foods, which are already under pressure from high domestic cattle prices and constrained supplies.

"The packers are all concerned because obviously it is a big market for U.S. beef," said Altin Kalo, agricultural economist for Steiner Consulting Group. "It has been two weeks now where we are basically at zero."

Neither the USDA nor the Meat Institute, which represents meat processors, offered immediate comment on the situation.

Beyond regulatory holdups, a broader trade dispute between the U.S. and China has also dampened the outlook. China has maintained steep tariffs on U.S. meat and other goods, making American beef more expensive and less appealing to Chinese importers.

China's Commerce Ministry, which launched an investigation into rising beef imports last year, is also expected to hold a hearing next week. The inquiry comes amid oversupply issues in China's domestic market, where falling beef prices have sparked concern among local producers.

With no clarity yet on when—or if—China will renew the beef facility registrations, exporters are left in limbo, watching one of their key international markets grind to a halt.