Argentina Beef Consumption Falls to 20-Year Low

Annual per capita beef consumption in Argentina fell to 44.5 kilograms in April 2026, down from 49.5 kilograms a year earlier, according to the Agricultural Foundation for Argentina's Development. The figure marks the lowest level in two decades, compared with 63.4 kilograms per person in 2006.

Beef prices rose more than 60 percent over the past year, reaching an average of 18,500 pesos per kilogram in Buenos Aires in May, the Argentine Beef Promotion Institute reported. Production fell more than 10 percent due to floods and droughts, according to CICCRA.

The government reduced export taxes on beef and poultry and removed production quotas in July 2025. Beef exports rose 54 percent in the first quarter of 2026 compared with a year earlier, totaling nearly 200,000 tons worth more than $1 billion. A U.S. decision earlier this year expanded Argentina's tariff-free beef quota.

Domestic prices moved closer to global levels after the market opened to international trade.

Shop owners report increased sales of pork and chicken as alternatives. Chicken averaged 4,900 pesos per kilogram and pork ribs 8,900 pesos, while beef remained higher. Butcher shop staff in Buenos Aires began stocking chicken and pork less than a year ago after observing shifts in customer purchases.

m. in the Mataderos neighborhood, where wholesale buyers continue to line up.