Argentine beef exporters discuss how to deal with restrictions imposed by China

one hand, they are celebrating a historic record in 2025, but on the other, they are facing a challenging national situation in 2026 that threatens to disrupt the dynamics of the entire livestock supply chain. The government reported that Argentina achieved a record level of beef exports in foreign currency in 2025, with sales amounting to $3.7 million, an increase of 22.3% over the previous year. Additionally, 853,183 tons of beef (in carcass weight equivalent) were shipped, amid a more than 30% increase in international prices. Of the total export volume, approximately 500,000 tons were destined for China. However, instead of celebrating this newfound freedom, the meat industry has been experiencing days of uncertainty since the Asian country announced precautionary measures to protect its own livestock industry. China has decided to impose meat import quotas for the next three years. Under this measure, countries cannot export more than their allocated volumes, otherwise they ...