Uruguay meat exports post double-digit gains in value

Foreign currency revenue for Uruguay from exports of all meat products showed strong growth in the year-to-date period of 2026 compared with the same stretch of 2025, the country’s National Meat Institute – INAC – said this week.

Through March 21, export revenue totaled $710.1 million, up 7.1%.

That result was based on shipments of 140,828 tonnes, measured in shipment weight, down 9.47%.

Average export prices reached $5,042 per tonne, up 18.24%.

Beef remains firmly in the lead

Looking specifically at beef, which accounts for the vast majority of meat exports from Uruguay’s meat industry, it continues to rank as the most relevant agribusiness product among the country’s main generators of export revenue.

It is followed by pulp, beverage concentrates, dairy products, rapeseed and carinata, wood and wood products, vehicles and rice, meaning that eight of Uruguay’s top 10 export goods come from agribusiness.

According to Uruguay XXI data through the end of February, beef exports rose 8% from the same period last year.

Main markets for all meats

The United States, Canada and Mexico accounted for 35% of revenue, at $251.2 million, up 1.9%.

China represented 28%, at $195.7 million, up 10.9%.

The European Union accounted for 18%, at $127.1 million, up 12.5%.

Israel represented 5%, at $37.1 million, up 0.1%.

Mercosur accounted for 3%, at $23.4 million, up 3.1%.

Beef accounts for 84% of export revenue

Looking only at beef exports, which account for 84% of total foreign currency revenue generated by all meat exports, income rose 8.8% from 2025 to 2026, again through March 21, reaching $593.2 million.

In volume terms, measured in shipment weight, Uruguay exported 79,029 tonnes of beef, down 6.9%.

Average beef export revenue between January and March 2026 reached $7,506 per tonne, up 17% from the same period of 2025.

Container throughput data obtained by Datamar points to an upward trend in Uruguay’s long-haul beef shipments. See more details below:

Beef Exports | Uruguay | Jan 2022 – Feb 2026 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Main destinations for beef

The United States, Canada and Mexico accounted for 41% of beef export revenue, at $243.7 million, up 7.6%, with demand totaling 46,722 tonnes in carcass weight, up 0.3%.

China accounted for 26%, at $151.3 million, up 18.1%, with 35,503 tonnes, down 5.7%.

The European Union represented 17%, at $100.6 million, up 1.7%, with 10,666 tonnes, down 19.5%.

Israel accounted for 5%, at $32.5 million, up 7.6%, with 4,882 tonnes, down 15.9%.

Mercosur represented 2%, at $12.9 million, down 15.7%, with 1,941 tonnes, down 25.3%.

The broader backdrop

Uruguay closed 2025 with a record $3.25 billion in meat export revenue, of which $2.711 billion came from beef, an increase of 26% from 2024.

Shipments totaled 693,528 tonnes, measured in shipment weight, down 0.6% year on year, while the average value reached $4,686 per tonne, up 25.1% from 2024.

Source: El Observador, translated and adapted by the BeefPoint team

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