IFA president Francie Gorman has called on the European Commission to ban Argentinian beef from the EU. The call comes on the back of recently published scientific research identifying poor controls on antibiotic usage in the country’s feedlots, including off label and unrecorded use.

The study involved sampling feedlots across Argentina for antibiotic residue in soil.

One of the most worrying aspects of the study was that 40% of the antibiotic compounds identified in the soil weren’t recorded as being used on the feedlot.

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Monensin, an antibiotic used as a growth promoter in South America and banned in the EU since 2006, was found in all of the feedlots sampled in the study.

The compounds found included important antibiotics like cefquinome, an antibiotic critical for human health and only available for animal use under specific circumstances in Ireland.

The study concluded that there were gaps in stewardship of antibiotics and that improved antibiotic usage traceability was needed on Argentinian farms.

EU beef imports from Argentina were up 6.7% in the period January to May 2026 and have accounted for about 18% of EU beef imports over the last five years.

There were 80,000t of Argentinian beef imported into Europe in 2025.

There is potential for Argentina to fill some of the gap created by the EU ban on Brazilian beef for the next two to three years.

IFA reaction

Calling for the Minster for Agriculture Martin Heydon to act, IFA president Francie Gorman said : “Based on the findings of this study, the ban on Brazilian beef into the EU must now be followed with an immediate ban on Argentinian beef.”