By Ella Cao and Mei Mei Chu

BEIJING (Reuters) -China's customs authorities suspended beef imports from seven companies in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Mongolia on Monday amid record imports last year that led to an oversupply and heavy losses at farms.

In a notice on its website, the customs department said it has suspended the import declaration from two Argentine exporters -Frigorífico Regional General Las Heras S.A. and Frio Dock S.A. -and three Brazilian companies: Frisa Frigorífico Rio Doce S/A, Bon-Mart Frigorifico Ltda, and JBS S/A.

Uruguay's Frigorífico Sirsil S.A. and one Mongolian supplier were also affected. It gave no reason for the suspensions.

Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay are among China's largest beef suppliers.

China's Commerce Ministry launched an investigation into surging beef imports late last year, as the world's largest meat importer and consumer grappled with an oversupplied market that hammered domestic beef prices to multi-year lows.

In 2024, China imported a record 2.87 million metric tons of beef, customs data showed.

The surge in imports has heightened the risk of trade measures by Beijing, which could affect major suppliers Brazil, Argentina, Australia, and the United States.

The industry is awaiting the official results of the investigation, expected later this year.