Uncertainty grows in the Argentine refrigeration industry: exporters debate how to face the limit imposed by China

The refrigeration sector celebrated a historic record in beef exports in 2025. However, the new national scenario, with deregulation driven by the national government, coexists with the uncertainty generated by the restrictions imposed by China. The freedom they were clamoring for, they now want to be transformed into regulation. Meat exporters in Argentina are going through a time of contrasts. On the one hand, they celebrate a historic record in 2025, but on the other, they face a complex national scenario in 2026 that threatens to alter the dynamics of the entire cattle chain. The national government indicated that in 2025 Argentina achieved a record in beef export earnings in foreign currency, with sales of 3.7 million dollars and an increase of 22.3 percent compared to the previous year. In addition, 853,183 bone-in equivalent cattle tons were sent, in a context where international prices rose by more than 30 percent. Of the total exported, about 500 thousand tons were ...