Liniers Cattle Market Buenos Aires

On the western outskirts of Buenos Aires Mercado de Liniers Cattle Market is home to the worlds biggest selling centre covering 34 hectares in the heart of the Mataderos neighbourhood. The market sets the national benchmark for beef prices across Argentina. That’s no surprise given up to 20% of the cattle sold through the yards each year pass through its gates. But there's a different side to the story too. With vegetarianism on the rise, the country's once famous beef industry is struggling hard. Yearly per capita consumption of beef now averages about sixty kilos, down from its peak of nearly one hundred in 1958. Today, the market is seeing less business. The drop in consumption can be felt clearly. A decade ago, a 100% more animals were sold there every year. However, the two main problems today are government price controls, which make it less profitable to raise cattle, and government-imposed export barriers.