China's customs on Monday announced that it would suspend the import of beef products from six factories in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay.

China's commerce ministry has launched an investigation into beef imports in December, as the world's biggest meat importer and consumer grapples with an over-supplied market that has sent domestic prices to multi-year lows.

A ship is loaded with containers at a cargo terminal at the Port of Santos, in Santos, Brazil. REUTERS/Carla Carniel