Argentina close to fulfilling 2024/25 Hilton quota

According to data from the European Community, as of May 31, 2025, 28,145 tons of Argentine beef had entered the EU under the Hilton Quota—equivalent to 95.77% of the country’s allocation. This leaves just 1,243 tons to be shipped in the final month of the 2024/25 cycle, which is about half of Argentina’s recent monthly average exports to the EU.

A couple of months ago, analysts and industry operators considered it unlikely that the quota would be fulfilled, due to a shortage of export-grade steers and their high cost, in a context of a strong peso against the dollar and continued export taxes on steer beef. However, recently —partly due to slight price improvements— meatpackers began accelerating shipments, in some cases supplementing rump & loin cuts with round cuts to fulfill their respective allocations. Some shipments were even made by air. As a result, it now seems likely that Argentina will meet its annual quota of 29,389 tons, or that any shortfall will be negligible.