Meat prices rose more than inflation: how the elimination of withholding taxes impacts

The monthly beef price report published by the Beef Promotion Institute surveyed the prices of the main cuts in the country's most important markets. Through August, the average price of beef was $12,141, compared to $7,173 for pork belly and $3,835 for chicken.

When quantified with year-on-year increases, meat had a year-on-year increase of 56.6%, pork of 44.6% and chicken of 41.1%. However, all examples rose above the Inflation reached 39% between August 2024 and August 2025. This figure predates the announcements regarding withholdings, so we'll have to wait for the September measurement.

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Recently, in light of the elimination of export taxes on meat , some businesses reported price increases due to a drop in supply, which some explained by the increase in export merchandise. However, the situation is not uniform, and the case will need to be closely monitored, as several variables are at play.

According to José Rizzo, head of the Mendoza Chamber of Slaughterers and Provisioners , Argentine butcher shops focus on the domestic market and lack access to exports. Furthermore, the bulk of the exported meat is not usually the same cut or cuts chosen for Argentines' tables.

In any case, Rizzo stated that this situation involves several variables, including the decline in the value of the dollar, which will require an assessment of whether or not exporting beyond the elimination of withholdings is appropriate.

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Beyond this, some adjustments in meat prices have been noticed this week, and we'll have to wait a bit longer to see how the measure affects domestic market prices. The Beef Promotion Institute stated that between July and August there was an average increase of 0.1%, with several cuts increasing significantly.

This is the case for sirloin, which increased by 2.7% in one month; special ground beef (1.6%), flank steak and rump steak (1.4%), which increased by 1.2%; and half carcass (1.2%). On the other hand, the cuts that decreased in the monthly comparison were: strip steak (-0.8%), round sirloin (-1.2%), and short rib (1.7%).