The president of the United States, Donald Trump, signed a decree that expands Argentina's beef import quota by 80,000 metric tons, which raises the total authorized amount to 100,000 metric tons per year. The decision, which will be in force during 2026, quintuples the current volume and represents a key opportunity for the inflow of foreign currency into the Argentine economy.
According to the provisions of the White House, the measure is temporary and responds to the need to increase the domestic supply of lean beef in the U.S. market, with the objective of containing the rise in consumer prices. In that context, the decree assigns the entirety of the additional quota exclusively to Argentina, a gesture that reinforces the bilateral trade relationship.
The official text states that, after evaluating the reports from the Department of Agriculture, it was determined that the domestic supply of lean beef trimmings is insufficient to meet demand at reasonable prices, due to natural disasters and severe disruptions in the domestic market. For that reason, Trump considered it "necessary and appropriate" to increase the tariff-rate quota within the TRQ regime.
The expansion will allow the export of an additional 80,000 metric tons free of tariffs, distributed in four quarterly installments of 20,000 metric tons each, in force from February through December 2026. This way, Argentina will have one of the most significant preferential access arrangements to the U.S. market.
