Argentina fills Hilton beef quota for 2025/26 cycle

Argentina fully used its Hilton beef quota for the 2025/26 commercial cycle, with certified exports reaching 29,388.86 tonnes out of the 29,389 tonnes authorized for shipment to the European Union, according to the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries under the Ministry of Economy.

Including shipments to the United Kingdom, Argentina exported 29,499 tonnes out of an original 29,500-tonne allocation, which was split after Brexit.

According to recent Datamar container export data, Argentina shipped 2,413 TEUs of beef to the European Union’s 27 member states in the first five months of 2026. The chart below shows the monthly figures:

Beef Exports | Argentina-EU | Jan 2023 – May 2026 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

The Argentina Hilton beef quota shipments generated about $406 million in FOB revenue, up 16%, according to the ministry. Average prices for rump and loin cuts — including tenderloin, striploin, rump and related products — have reached around $20,000 per tonne since April.

The Hilton quota is one of Argentina’s highest-value beef export channels, giving the country preferential access to the European market for premium boneless beef cuts. Germany and the Netherlands remained the main destinations for Argentine beef under the quota, followed by Italy, Spain, Greece and Portugal.

The government also published Resolution No. 105/2026 in the Official Gazette, distributing the tariff-rate quota for the 2026/27 commercial cycle. A total of 81 companies were awarded access, including meatpacking plants and export producer groups. The new cycle also added 15 participants.

Argentina has already used 7% of the 2026/27 quota through an advance allocation mechanism, with average prices still close to $19,000 per tonne.

The Argentina Hilton beef quota is part of a tariff-rate quota granted by the European Union to beef-producing and exporting countries. It applies to high-quality boneless beef and carries a preferential tariff of 20%.

Argentina holds 44% of the global Hilton quota granted by the European Union. Other beneficiaries include the United States and Canada, with 17%; Brazil, with 15%; Australia, with 11%; Uruguay, with 10%; New Zealand, with 2%; and Paraguay, with 1%.

Updated information on Argentina’s Hilton beef quota and other preferential export quotas is available through the country’s Single Window for Foreign Trade platform, where users can consult products subject to preferential market-access quotas by tariff classification.

Source: Argentina’s Secretariat of Agriculture

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