(NAFB) – Argentina ranchers are protesting the government’s decision to suspend beef exports by halting their sales of cattle.

One of the country’s beef producer associations announced the halt will continue through Wednesday, June 2. The sales strike began several days ago when the country said it will ban beef exports for 30 days because high food inflation has caught the attention of officials ahead of the mid-term elections in Argentina.

Groups protesting the decision issued a statement saying, “The policy path chosen by the government will not achieve the stated goal of lowering domestic meat prices.”

Reuters says the export ban pushed agriculture groups to halt the trading of livestock as tensions continue between the country’s farm sector and government, which is dealing with a forecast of consumer price inflation at 50 percent this year. Farm groups in Argentina are asking the government to address inflation by printing fewer pesos.

A source from the Argentina Meat Exporters Consortium tells Reuters that, “There is a permanent dialogue with the government. The problem is we can’t find a solution.”

Argentina exported over 897,000 tons of beef in 2020, which was worth 2.7 billion dollars.