Stronger peso slices into Argentine beef exports High costs, falling demand in China squeeze meat packers23 May 2025 23 May 2025 3 minute read 3 minute read By: By: Global Ag Media South America AsiaIn the Villarroel meat plant outside Buenos Aires, workers skillfully butcher cuts of Argentine beef, popular with restaurants from Shanghai to New York. But the country's steak exports are now sliding as costs rise on a stronger local peso, reported Reuters. In the first four months of the year, beef exports fell nearly 20% year-on-year to around 255,000 tons, according to government agency Senasa. Chinese importers - which gobbled up two-thirds of Argentina's beef exports last year - are paying around $5 per kilogram, packers say, cutting into their margins as local costs have risen alongside the peso. "Everyone is struggling to be profitable," said Miguel Jairala, an analyst with the ABC chamber of meat exporters.