Overview
- The industry report published Sunday, August 23, 2026, showed apparent beef consumption fell 12% year on year for January–July to 1.202 million tonnes, a decline of about 163,400 tonnes compared with the same period in 2025.
- The 12‑month moving per‑capita average dropped to 46.3 kg, a 9.4% fall that equals roughly 4.8 kg less beef consumed per person versus last year.
- Retail prices drove the setback with the 'meats and derivatives' category up 42.9% annually and beef cuts rising about 52%, making beef roughly 23.7% more expensive relative to chicken over the past year.
- There are signs of brief price relief as several key cuts showed small monthly falls — asado −1.3% (fourth straight monthly drop), nalga −0.8%, and common ground beef −0.7% — but those declines follow large prior increases.
- Exports rose about 8.8% through July, led by higher shipments to the United States under a newly opened quota that has largely offset weaker sales to China, a dynamic that could tighten domestic supply and keep political pressure on price and trade policy.