Argentina slaughtered 9.18 million cattle from January through September, 1.02 million fewer than a year earlier, the ABC meat exporters’ consortium said.
The September count fell 11% year on year to about 1.045 million head. The total was 3.3% higher than in August, but September had two more working days. After adjusting for the calendar, the daily pace dropped 6.1% to 47,500 head, its lowest since January 2022.
The supply of female cattle also contracted. About 603,100 fewer females were sent to slaughter in the first nine months, and their share of the total fell to 45.9% from 47.2%. Beef output over the period declined 6.6% to 2.203 million tonnes in carcass-weight equivalent. ABC president Mario Ravettino put the shortfall from January–September 2025 at about 154,900 tonnes.
September beef production was about 258,200 tonnes, down 5.2% from a year earlier but 4% above August. Average carcass weight for the nine-month period rose 3.8% to 240 kilograms. ABC member companies reported a 3.5% increase in their own slaughter since January, while the consortium said export-oriented plants continued to face limited supplies of steers and cows.