Low production and record exports, the contrasts of Argentine beef

(NAP) The Chamber of Industry and Commerce of Meat and Derivatives of the Argentine Republic published a new monthly report that describes a contrasting panorama for the meat sector: while production, domestic consumption and slaughter fell, exports reached record volumes, although with irregular international prices. In November 2024, bovine slaughter fell 8.2% year-on-year, with a total of 1.14 million heads processed. The reduction mainly affected males, whose slaughter fell 12.9% compared to October. In particular, steers suffered a contraction of 17.4% monthly and 20.1% year-on-year. In this category, the marked decline in cows stood out (-27% year-on-year). This decline shows a possible retention of bellies by producers, in a context of climatic and economic uncertainty that affects herd management decisions. In contrast, heifers showed a more moderate drop of 5%, representing 48.5% of the total slaughtered, a historic figure for the last 35 years. This share highlights the ...