The Argentine beef industry exported US$1,653.7 million between January and April 2026, 36% more than in the same period of 2025 and the highest value for a first four-month period since comparable records have been kept, in 2002.
The record was achieved despite a sharp decline in production: the slaughter for the first four months of the year was the lowest in ten years, with 3,935,598 head, according to data compiled by the Rosario Stock Exchange based on figures from SAGyP and INDEC. The contrast between lower supply and higher foreign currency earnings defines the sector’s dynamics so far this year.
Last year ended with 13.6 million head slaughtered, a contraction of 2.5% compared to 2024 and the second consecutive decline after the peak of 14.5 million recorded in 2023, driven at the time by the severe drought of that year.
In the first four months of 2026, this trend intensified: the 3,935,598 head slaughtered represent the lowest figure in ten years for that period. In February alone, the slaughter of 925,235 head was the lowest since April 2017, while April, with 960,871 head, marked the lowest level for that month in nine years.
Behind this decline lies a productive decision: good water availability and favorable prices per kilo of live weight led producers to extend the fattening period before sending the animals to slaughter.
As a result, meat production for the first four months fell to 926,583 tons carcass weight equivalent, the lowest figure in nine years, but the average weight per slaughtered animal climbed to 235.4 kg on the hook, the highest value recorded for a first four-month period since 1990, exceeding by 9 kilos the average of the last decade for the same period.
Exports at record levels, driven by the price
The jump in export value is not solely due to increased volume, but primarily to price. In April 2026, the average export price reported by SAGyP reached US$5,490 per ton carcass weight equivalent, the highest level since May 2014.
In terms of volume, beef exports totaled 257,345 tons carcass weight equivalent in the four-month period, 10% more than in 2025, although still 2% below the average of the last five years.
China remains the main buyer, accounting for 39.1% of the export value, followed by the United States (19.0%), Israel (12.9%), Germany (7.8%), and the Netherlands (5.6%). The remaining 15.6% is distributed among 35 other destinations.
The Argentine beef sector is experiencing a period of stark contrast: while domestic supply is contracting to its lowest levels in a decade, the export sector is capitalizing on international prices at their highest levels in over a decade and new access conditions to key markets such as the European Union and the United States. The evolution of slaughtering in the coming months will be crucial to sustaining this export pace without further exacerbating the decline in domestic consumption.
