The United States, Argentina’s second-largest beef market, and Israel, which competes with Europe for third place, recorded the strongest growth among major destinations in 2026.
Although US purchases of frozen beef declined in May, partially offset by slightly higher chilled beef imports, total shipments to the US reached 42,776 tonnes in the first five months of the year, 2.5 times the volume purchased during the same period in 2025.
The average price paid by the US for chilled beef in May was US$/t 16,066, not only the highest price ever paid by that market but also the highest average value among Argentina’s major export destinations, exceeding the US$/t 15,261 paid by Europe.
Meanwhile, Israel, which resumed strong purchases of chilled beef in May, imported 22,567 tonnes of chilled and frozen beef during January-May, an increase of 19.3% compared with the same period last year.
