UPDATE 2-Brazil official says China wants smaller list of meat plants for exports

(Adds trade data from industry groups ABPA and ABIEC, context on Sino-Brazil trade)

By Eduardo Simões

SAO PAULO, Aug 24 (Reuters) - The Chinese government has asked Brazil to reduce a list of meat plants seeking authorization to export to the Asian country, a step that could help Beijing expedite the approval process, Carlos Fávaro, Brazilian agriculture minister, said on Thursday.

China was the top destination for Brazilian poultry and pork exports in the first seven months of the year and also Brazil's biggest beef products buyer in the first half, according to data from industry groups ABPA and ABIEC.

Speaking ahead of a meeting of the China-Brazil Commission of High Level of Agreement and Cooperation, Favaro said Brazil had requested export approval for a total of 77 plants based on two different lists, without specifying what each produces.

But faced with the Chinese request to reduce the number, the minister said the government has no option but to talk with industry representatives to cut some plants from the list.

"We are in the evaluation phase, we are going to call the representatives of the meat companies so that we can reduce this list... and have new plants approved later this year."

China is one of Brazil's top trade partners, importing everything from soybeans to iron ore and eucalyptus pulp in large volumes.

Brazilian meatpackers sold a combined 817,224 metric tons of chicken and pork to China in the year through July, ABPA data shows.

Brazil's beef exports reached 512,306 tons in the first half to China, more than 7 times higher than to the United States, the South American nation's second biggest beef destination by volume. (Reporting by Eduardo Simões in São Paulo; Writing by Ana Mano; Editing by Kylie Madry and David Gregorio)