The Global Livestock Report

With most plants already booked through the end of June, new cattle price lists released by the industry showed steep cuts. Packers are now offering US$ 3.50 per kg carcass for standard steers and US$ 3.20 for fat cows, for slaughter in the first week of July—a 30-cent drop from last week.

Export cattle prices held steady. Crossbred British steers continued trading at Ar$ 5,000–5,100 per kg hook weight, while Brahman-influenced cattle remained at Ar$ 4,800–5,000.

The average carcass weight in May was 232.3 kg, up 1.4% from April and 2.2% from May 2024. Year-to-date, average weight was 230.0 kg, up 1.1% from the same period in 2024.

The drop in total slaughter this year stems mainly from a 15% year-over-year decline in cow slaughter, equating to roughly 173,400 fewer head. The steepest drop occurred in May, with 62,000 fewer cows processed compared to May 2024.

Argentina’s beef slaughter in May reached 1.118 million head, down 1.1% from April. Adjusted for working days, daily slaughter was about 53,200 head, a 10.5% drop compared to April's daily average of 59,500 head.

The controversial measure to allow bone-in beef from areas free of foot-and-mouth disease with vaccination into Patagonia—an area free of the disease without vaccination—has been postponed for at least two more months. Just a week before the initial 90-day suspension of SENASA Resolution 186/2025 was set to expire, the government decided to push back the implementation date again. According to La Nación, the delay aims to allow time for official responses from countries like Chile and EU members regarding whether the regulatory change might have commercial or sanitary consequences.