The latest price increases in cattle, close to 30% per kilogram on the hoof, exposed the intrinsic contradictions of the beef supply chain, especially in the link related to local consumption. When an economic structure does not generate value, it is the most forceful indicator that this form of production or marketing has completed its cycle, and the longer it continues in this way, the more value destruction it will generate. For decades, the half-carcass structured the Argentine meat system, developing an agile marketing scheme based on thousands of points of sale. Butcher shops scattered throughout all the neighborhoods of Argentina generated greater demand and, from the interaction between consumer and butcher, the creation of new cuts and a better utilization of the half-carcass. In an era of an abundance of cattle, the marketing system in half-carcasses created thousands of competitors generating a market of almost perfect competition. It is important to remember that, for ...