Argentina receives short — lived chance to sell more beef to China as rivals pull back

By Fabiola Arámburo Sept 18 (Reuters) — Argentina could see a brief surge in beef sales to China as supplies from its biggest competitors, Brazil and Australia, temporarily dry up. by the Rosario exchange on Friday. China is the world's largest beef importer, and for the next few weeks Argentina and Uruguay could face far less competition there than usual, as Australia has run out of quota for exports and Brazil has sharply reduced shipments. The effect is already showing up in Argentina's cattle market. While prices for most cattle sold for slaughter have been flat, cows typically used for export have become more valuable. Supply is also getting tighter. Data from Argentina's animal health agency showed the number of cows sent to slaughter fell 13% in January-August from a year earlier, to 1.6 million head. In the first two weeks of September, shipments were down another 15% from the same period last year. Meanwhile, prices paid by Chinese buyers are rising. According to the exchange, the export price for beef shank and forequarter cuts shipped to China has climbed to $7,700 per metric ton, up from $7,200 a month ago and $5,400 a year ago. The exchange said t