Dairy exports grew rapidly in 2011, with 406,966 tons of milk exported. This is the first time Argentina has exported more dairy than meat products.
Citing the El Observador, The Cattle Network reports that dairy also brought in greater foreign exchange earnings, as exports of the item saw an inflow of $1.5 billion, against $1.4 billion for meat.
Between 2010 and 2011, dairy exports grew 32% in volume, while meat declined 15% year on year. Meat exports were still down - despite prices increasing this was not enough to offset the difference in export volumes.
Government incentives to produce beef have fallen in recent years, which has led to a fall in production., and subsequently affected sales.
The situation is an ongoing worry to the government as 14,000 jobs were lost in the meat packing sector last year.