Week 202639
Argentina beef exports climbed to their highest monthly level of 2026 in August, with shipments reaching 72,876 metric tons of chilled and frozen beef on a product-weight basis and export revenue totaling US$518.4 million.
Volumes rose 11.1% from July, while export value increased 11.3%, according to the latest report from the Argentine Meat Exporters Consortium, ABC. Compared with August 2025, shipments were only 0.4% higher, but revenue jumped 29.1%, reflecting significantly stronger export prices.
The average export price reached US$7,114 per metric ton in August, little changed from July but 28.5% above the US$5,537 per ton recorded a year earlier. Prices had fallen to around US$3,740 per ton in mid-2024 before recovering throughout 2025 and reaching nearly US$7,300 per ton in May 2026.
August was the strongest month of the year so far in both shipment volume and revenue. Exports increased from 65,609 tons in July, while earnings rose from US$465.7 million.
Eight-month export revenue rises nearly 40%
From January through August, Argentina shipped 476,700 metric tons of beef, generating approximately US$3.29 billion in export revenue.
Compared with the same period of 2025, export volume increased 5.9%, while revenue climbed 39.8%, highlighting the role of higher international prices in this year’s trade performance.
The widening gap between volume and revenue growth has been one of the defining features of Argentina’s beef export market in 2026, with stronger prices adding considerably more value to relatively modest increases in physical shipments.
China takes 59% of August volumes
China remained Argentina’s largest beef market in August, accounting for 59.1% of total export volume.
Shipments included 18,100 tons of bone-in beef and bovine bones from deboning, worth US$50.5 million, as well as approximately 25,000 tons of boneless beef, valued at another US$148.9 million.
Exports of frozen boneless beef to China alone rose to almost 25,000 tons, up from 21,354 tons in July. During the first seven months of 2026, monthly shipments in this category had ranged between roughly 15,000 and 23,000 tons.
The increase reinforces China’s importance to Argentina’s frozen beef trade and to long-haul refrigerated cargo flows from South America to Asia.
Frozen boneless beef leads shipments
Frozen boneless beef remained Argentina’s largest beef export category in August, totaling 41,500 tons worth US$296.5 million.
The average price stood at about US$7,150 per ton. Shipment volume increased 7.3% from July and 0.6% from August 2025.
During the first eight months of the year, frozen boneless beef exports totaled 274,600 tons, generating US$1.89 billion in revenue, up 40.1% from the same period in 2025.
China was the main destination for the category in August, receiving 25,000 tons worth US$148.9 million. The United States followed with 9,800 tons valued at US$74.6 million, while Israel imported 4,100 tons worth US$49.3 million.
Chilled beef exports to Europe jump
Chilled beef also recorded a strong month.
Argentina exported 12,800 tons of chilled beef worth US$168.5 million in August. Shipments of chilled boneless beef rose 32% from July and 7.3% year over year, while the average export price exceeded US$13,100 per ton.
Europe accounted for a large share of the increase. Chilled boneless beef exports to European markets rose nearly 50% from July to 6,300 tons.
The chart below shows the share of Argentina’s meat exports shipped to the leading European destinations in the first seven months of 2026:
Top European Destinations for Argentine Meat Exports | Jan-Jul 2026 | TEUs
Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)
Argentina also shipped 3,100 tons of chilled beef to Israel and 1,700 tons to Chile during the month.
The August figures show Argentina’s beef trade expanding across two distinct export streams: large-volume frozen shipments, led by China, and higher-value chilled cargoes destined mainly for Europe, Israel and Chile.
The combination pushed Argentina beef exports to their highest monthly volume and revenue of 2026 while reinforcing demand for refrigerated export logistics across both long-haul and regional routes.
Source: La Nación
