Meat consumption has increased in Argentina.

In September 2025, a total of 1.169 million HEAD of cattle were slaughtered in MEAT processing plants . This figure is 1.3% lower than in August, adjusted for the number of working days, and is in addition to the 5.1% drop recorded in August due to heavy rainfall. Furthermore, according to a new report from Ciccra, the Argentine Chamber of Meat Industry and Trade, a 3.3% decline (-40,160 head) was observed between September 2024 and September 2025, marking the third consecutive decline.

Cattle slaughter totaled 553,100 head, down 1.6% from September 2024 (-8,800 head). The reduction in the number of cows slaughtered more than offset the slight increase in the number of heifers slaughtered in the ninth month of the year.

In September 2025, the share of female cattle in total slaughter increased by 0.8 percentage points compared to the previous year, reaching 47.3%. This figure has not shown any year-on-year growth since April of this year, although it remained below the peak reached in that month. The ratio remained above the range consistent with the sustainability of the cattle population.

Currently in 2025

In the first nine months of the year, 10.19 million head of cattle were slaughtered. Compared to January–September 2024, this represents a decrease of 0.6% (-61.5 million head).

SENASA-approved plants accounted for 77.5% of the total number of animals slaughtered between January and September 2025. The remaining meat processing plants accounted for 22.5% of the total number of animals slaughtered.

A total of 5.375 million head of cattle were slaughtered this year, a mere 0.4% increase compared to January-September last year. The slaughter of young bulls increased by 7.2% (by 54,398 head), while the slaughter of young bulls decreased by 0.4% (by 18,632 head).

At the same time, cattle slaughter decreased by 1.7% compared to the previous year, reaching 4.813 million head (-84.1 thousand head). Conversely, heifer slaughter increased by 4.1% year-on-year, reaching 2.913 million head.

As for the share of females in the total slaughter volume, in January-September 2025 it amounted to 47.24%, which is half a percent lower than the figure corresponding to January-September 2024, but remains above the upper limit of the range compatible with maintaining the livestock population.

Meat production, EXPORT and consumption

In September 2025, beef production totaled 271,000 tonnes of bone-in beef (tbb/slaughter). Compared to September 2024, this represents a decrease of 2.9% (-8.05,000 tbb/slaughter). The decline in slaughter was more significant than the recovery in average hook weight, which in September was 232 kg (-1.0% m/m; +0.5% y/y).

In January-September 2025, beef production amounted to 2.356 billion tonnes of bone-in beef (tonnes of bone-in beef per hour). As established in the previous section, total production volume year-to-date exceeded the first nine months of 2024 by 0.6%. This represents an increase in beef supply of 14.2 thousand tonnes of bone-in beef per hour.

Similarly, exports fell by 12.5% ​​year-on-year to around 613,300 tonnes of beef per hour over the nine-month period, driven by lower purchases from CHINA (even despite the recovery it has shown in recent months).

Meat consumption

Thus, over the analyzed period, apparent beef consumption increased by 6.2% annually, reaching 1.742 billion tonnes of raw beef per hour. Per capita consumption in September of this year was 49.5 kg per year, based on the moving average over the past twelve months, representing an increase of 4.5% over the September 2024 average (+2.1 kg per capita per year).

Exports and markets

In August, the meat processing industry exported 59,300 tons of beef by weight (excluding bone-in meat exports). This is the highest foreign sales volume in eleven months.

Growth compared to August was 15.2%, driven by significant increases in exports to the Netherlands, Israel, Germany, China , and Brazil. Year-on-year growth was 1.8%, with the largest contribution coming from sales to China and the Netherlands, as well as shipments to Chile and Germany.

Deliveries to China totaled 39,300 tons of raw materials, accounting for two-thirds of total exports. Sales increased by 17.2% compared to the previous month (+5,765 tons of raw materials), while exceeding the certified figures for August 2024 by 0.8% (+311 tons of raw materials).

In August, the unit price was US $6,382 per metric ton (pp). Although the price was 1.6% lower than the average recorded in July last year, it increased by 46.9% year-on-year (+US$2,040 per metric ton (pp)).

Beef export revenue for the eighth month of the year amounted to $378.7 million, an increase of 13.4% compared to the previous month and 49.6% compared to the same period last year. In absolute terms, revenue increased by $44.8 million compared to July and by $125.5 million compared to August last year.

In the first eight months of 2025, total beef exports amounted to 363,400 tonnes per capita, reducing the year-on-year decline to 11.7%. By destination country, the year-on-year decline in shipments was entirely due to a reduction in shipments from China (-19.7% year-on-year; -56,100 tonnes per capita). Total sales increased by 22.8% year-on-year, amounting to usd 2.201 billion (+ USD 409.2 million).

Over the first eight months of 2025, we supplied 228,900 tonnes of beef to China, a 19.7% decrease compared to the same period last year (-56,100 tonnes of beef). The share of these sales in total exports decreased from 69.2% in January-August last year to 63.0% for the same period in 2025 (-6.2 percentage points). The average price was USD 4,511 per tonne of beef, a 39.5% increase compared to the previous year. As a result, revenue amounted to USD 1,032.6 million, a 12.1% increase compared to the previous year (46.9% of the total volume; +USD 111.4 million).

Live cattle prices at the Cañuelas market increased by 6.4% from August to September of this year, and by a combined 27.0% over the past three months, reaching an average of US$2,792.6 per kilogram of live weight. All categories experienced increases, although the leading ones were cows and bulls (seasonal increases), with prices up 7.9% and 8.9%, respectively. Compared to September 2024, the average price increased by 60.4%, while the unit price of bulls, heifers, and young bulls increased the most (from 67.4% to 61.3% per year).

The peso's appreciation was significantly greater than the official DOLLAR exchange rate, resulting in a further 1.0% month-on-month increase, reaching US$1.995 per kilogram of live weight. However, in "free" dollar terms, the price declined by 2.2% month-on-month, partially offsetting the increase of the previous two months, reaching US$1.925 per kilogram of live weight.