Argentina suspends exports of popular cuts of beef

The Argentine government published a series of regulations on Monday that set the conditions for exporting beef in 2022 and 2023, including the two-year suspension of cuts “preferred”By Argentine consumers.

Through decree 911/21, cuts “preferred”By the Argentines, that is, roast with or without bone, skirt, matambre, roast cover, buttock, shoulder and vacuum, by limiting the definitive and / or suspensive export until December 31, 2023 inclusive.

It also suspends until that date the definitive and / or suspensive export of whole cattle, half cattle, forequarters with bone, hindquarters with bone, incomplete half cattle with bone and incomplete forequarters with bone.

Resolution 302/21 opens a registry of exporters for 60 days, by enabling the registration of new slaughtering and processing plants and producer groups that intend to export beef in 2022.

Resolution 301/21 fully releases exports of categories D, E (generally destined for China, the main export customer) and bulls, which includes the possibility of exporting the cuts preferred by Argentines, as well as of bones with meat resulting from the deboning.

Those exporters, as well as the meat factories or establishments that were awarded quotas to export in June 2020, must register, for approval, the Affidavits of Meat Export Operations (DJEC) during 2022.

Instead, it indicates that “tariff quotas granted by third countries” to Argentina “will be governed by their respective rules”, Which recalls what the Government of Alberto Fernández had anticipated regarding the international commitments of the Hilton Quota, 481, with Israel, the United States, Chile and Colombia.

Also, create “Observatory of Beef Production”In the scope of the Ministry of Agriculture, as a“advisory body” that “provide advice to boost productivity and create a good business climate in the meat chain”.

Likewise, Resolution 10/21 determines that bovine meats destined for retail trade must leave the refrigerators in units of up to 32 kilograms and that a period of up to six months will be granted to comply with these requirements.

These regulations are published after the expiration of the export restrictions that the Argentine Government implemented since May 2021, with the aim of lowering the price of meat to the consumer.

Argentina is one of the world’s largest consumers of beef per inhabitant, with 47 kilos per year per inhabitant, according to FADA, and, before the export restrictions, it was the fifth world exporter of frozen boneless beef, in 2020.

Export turnover remained at 2,264.3 million dollars in the first ten months of 2021, according to CICCRA, where the lower volume exported was fully offset by the rise in the declared price.