Argentina’s beef output dips as supply tightens - USDA FAS
Lower slaughter rates, plant fire weigh on 2025 outlook
18 April 2025
1 minute read
By: Argentina’s beef production is forecast at 3.08 million tons carcass weight equivalent (CWE) in 2025, a 3% decline from last year, according to the USDA’s latest Livestock and Products Semi-annual report from Buenos Aires.
Slaughter is projected at 13.4 million head—400,000 below USDA’s official estimate—after volumes in the first two months of the year fell roughly 3% compared to the same period in 2024.
Last year’s projections underestimated slaughter due to steady export demand and drought, which prompted producers to market cattle earlier than planned. But 2025 is expected to be more challenging. Exporters face lower cattle supplies and thin profit margins.
Further complicating matters, one of Argentina’s largest and most advanced meat packing plants was severely damaged by a fire in mid-February. With no timeline yet for a return to full operations, its export performance is expected to suffer in the coming months.
